(Actual) Ninja Spider-Man
by Lets Do That Again
Summary: Spiderman was sent to the world of Naruto by the Great Weaver in order to strengthen the Web of Life in that world. Too bad he wasn't informed he would be doing it in the body of a teenager.(Semi-revised chapters 1&2).
1. Chapter 1

New Boss, New Body

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

" _Oooh god, my head…anyone get the number of that cab…and bus…and train?"_ Peter Parker (a.k.a. The Amazing, Sensational, Spectacular Spider-Man) was, in all honesty, in a fairly high point in his life.

Sure, Ock's stint at being a "Superior Spider-Man" had all but destroyed Peter's reputation, and the public was more wary of him than they had ever been before, and then there was that whole stint with the "Inheritors" and practically every human being (and occasional animal) to ever put on a pair of spider themed spandex, but things were getting better.

Unfortunately, it was also nearing the…anniversary of when Ock had decided to take a page from _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ , so he was a bit irritable. Compounded by the fact that there were still a few members of the hero community that gave him the odd look, like they were expecting him to snap and start brutalizing people again (Felicia still has yet to listen him, much to his dismay), not to mention the fact the Parker Industries (which was still a little too "Stark" for his liking), was facing some backlash from the media (read: JJ) for supporting Spider-Man, not a good time for our resident webhead.

Anyway, AIM had gotten their hands on some experimental and highly dangerous tech. Stealth was a forgone tactic, as Tony was very miffed at the fact that AIM managed to successfully rob one of his facilities, and wanted to both get it back and send a message. As they were all leading an assault at AIM's current base, Spider-Man was "lucky" enough to stumble upon a testing room, where AIM scientists seemed to be trying to open up a portal into another dimension. Having substantial experience with this sort of thing, he decided it would be best if he stopped the test before things got out of hand. He managed to web up the scientists, but turrets popped up from the walls and ceiling to try and mow him down. There was little success, but one of the bullets did hit the control board. One loud bang and flash of light later, and our resident hero felt like he was hung-over, run over by a train, and threw-up all in the span of 10 seconds.

After a few moments he regained his bearings, finally taking stock of his situation. His costume was pretty banged up, the mask all but destroyed, with burns all along the actual suit. However, it was his surrounding that got his attention. They looked somewhat barren, and remarkably familiar, but he could not for the life of him remember where…

" **Understandable given your circumstances"** a voice, monotone and deep, bellowed.

Peter jumped in the air, turning around, and landed in a crouch, entering a combat stance. "Woah! Don't…do…that…" His words died in his throat as he took note of what had spoken to him. It was a giant, spider like being with a blue body and many, many green legs. "Y-your're the ***gulp*** Great Weaver."

" **Correct, our avatar."**

"Cool..cool. Um, Why am I here?" the man asked with a nervous tone.

" **Originally, that portal was only supposed to send you to one of the many worlds which connect with the Web. We, however, saw an opportunity to expand the Web, and took it."**

Peter was confused at that statement, "Wait. Back up a bit, you 'saw an opportunity'?"

" **Correct."**

Peter felt his temper rise at the cool indifference in the Weaver's voice "Well What The Hell! What gives you the right to just up and grab me at your leisure? I have a life!"

" **A life you would not have if not for us."**

Peter faltered, "Well yeah…" he then raised his head, glaring "Still doesn't give you the right to pick me up at your leisure!"

The Waver's voice grew cold and stern, **"We gave you your powers, we can justly as easily take them away."**

Peter shut-up after that.

" **Now that we have your attention, listen close. As you know, the Web of Life connects many worlds and countless lives. What you may not know, however, is that some strands are weaker than others. Your job is to strengthen the web in one of those worlds."**

"Now wait a minute. Why send me, why not someone else."

" **There is already one in that world blessed with our gift, but he has squandered it, and does not add more than a few thin strands to the web. You however, have always had the ability to make strong, lasting threads."**

Peter ran his hand across his face. "And say I agree with all this- _not that I seem to have much of a choice_ -how long would this take, exactly?"

" **As long as is needed. Until I can deem the web as self-sufficient."**

"And I can't get out of this?"

" **Not unless you wish to die."**

"I'd rather not."

" **Excellent, however, before you are sent off, there is one thing we must do."** The Great Weaver then brought one of its many legs dangerously close to Peter's forehead.

He eyed the leg nervously, smacking his lips "…Nice leg…wh-wha-what do you plan on doing with it?"

" **If Mephistopheles believes that he can interfere with OUR avatar, he is SORELY mistaken!"**

"Mephi-" Peter was cut off as the Great Weaver's leg shot forward, burying itself in his head. He screamed in gut-wrenching agony. Getting rid of the Venom symbiote, hell, dying, was less excruciating than this. After what seemed like hours of pain, the Great Weaver removed its leg. Peter fell down on his knee in exhaustion, but then crashed to the floor clutching his head as his brain was bombarded with information. Images and emotions were flying all over the place, Aunt May in the hospital, desperation closing in, stingers growing out of his arms, a beautiful woman- _Mary Jane!_ -walking down the aisle, joy and love oozing out of his very being. Peter started crying, the knowledge of an entire life that he gave up flooding him with immense sorrow. He spent a good ten minutes on the floor, letting it all in. He shakily rose to his feet, eyes red with tears.

" **We apologize. That was a messy affair, but needed to be done to reestablish a full connection between us."** The Great Weaver actually sounded apologetic.

Peter drew a shaky breath, "It's fine, w-we made our decision. It's in the past now." But even as he said it Peter knew it would take a while to cope with what he had learned.

" **As you were obviously preoccupied, let it be known that you have been gifted a basic understanding of the world which you shall inhabit. You're abilities have also been augmented, but you shall need to discover exactly how they are different on your own."**

"Seems fair."

" **Farewell Spider-Man. We shall be in touch."**

Without preamble, a portal opened up behind Peter. He was caught by surprise and flung backwards, hurtling through time and space.

 **Line Break**

Peter felt a sharp pain on his chest, and heard a man's voice call out to him. "C'mon kid, stay with me." Peter sat up, coughing out water, his eyes fluttering open. "Oh thank god. You okay kid?"

Peter's face scrunched up in confusion, the man in front of him, a fairly old man in a green vest with gray hair, a beard, and wearing glasses, had called him a kid. While there was an age difference, Peter thought the 'kid' comment was a little odd. With labored breath, he asked "Who you calling a kid?" noting that his voice sounded funny, but chalked it up to almost drowning. _"Note to self, reprimand my 'boss' for dumping me in a river"._

The old man smiled at that, "Well someone thinks highly himself."

Peter was about to retort when he saw something in the man's glasses that made him pause. Deciding to go to the river for a better reflection, he received a shock. Instead of a man in his 20's, the person staring back at him was a kid, a scrawny (though wiry would be more appropriate, as he was not nearly as thin as he actually was as a child) boy who couldn't be more than 14. Peter stared on in mute horror, _"Oh…my…god…I have to go through puberty again, but this time with spider powers!"_ Peter heard the old man call out from behind him.

"You alright kid? You're looking awfully pale."

Peter just gave a dry chuckle "Oh yeah, I'm good. Just…reeling from recent events in my life."

The man hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, almost drowning will do that. Anyway" he handed Peter a towel that had had on him, which Peter took, "I'm Tazuna, What's you're name kid?"

Peter dried himself a bit before answering "I'm Peter, Peter Parker".

 **A/N: I decided to revise this chapter, and a few things in chapter 2, because as I was re-reading I figured I made Peter a bit too angsty than he should be given his current situation in the comics. Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

Old Friends

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter was having a…well in all honesty this day was par for the course. After coping surprisingly well with the fact that he now had the body of a 13/14 year-old, things took a downward turn when he saw the state of the nearby village. He found out from Tazuna that a businessman, Gato, had taken over the town with his silver-tongue and false promises. Tazuna's family was affected more than most due to the fact the Kaiza (his son-in-law) was brutally tortured and killed for speaking out against Gato. It really crushed both the town and his family. His grandson, Inari, had said that it would have been better for Peter if he had drowned in the river, and before he turned in for the night Peter could swear he heard Tsunami, the boy's mother, crying.

Peter had seen similar situations many times back in New York. The only difference here being that he had no way to combat this. Sure, if he were younger (career-wise) and more headstrong, he would have gone in webs spinning and taken down Gato's business one thug at a time.

Unfortunately, that would only lead to more problems than solutions, as Gato could simply hire some of those ninjas with magical powers that apparently inhabit this world. Not to mention that, as far as he could tell, there was no centralized law enforcement he could go to once he found sufficient evidence. So, for now, his best bet was to bide his time.

 **Line Break**

Peter's dreams, in which he sometimes found solace during hard times, were not doing so now. He was forced to watch himself and Mary Jane make the deal with Mephistopheles over and over again. He could not turn away, could not shut his eyes, he could only watch as anguish washed over him in waves.

"…an"

Peter felt as if he would die from the sheer weight of his unearthed memories.

"…der-Man"

As he thought about it, death seemed like a nice option.

"PETER!"

"Wah!" Peter cried out, the dream fading. His surroundings had changed drastically. He was now in a black room with spider webs lining the walls. He turned towards the voice that yelled out his name, and recoiled in shock at the sight.

"M-Madame Web?"

Sitting in her specialized chair, wearing a red, full body dress with a white spider emblem on her chest was the deceased Cassandra Webb, the first Madame Web.

"Hello, Peter. It is nice to see you again."

Peter was nonplussed, "Hu-bu-wait. Your dead, Julia took over for you. Why are you here?"

She gave a small smirk at Peter's response, "The Great Weaver decided that I would help guide you its place."

Peter crossed his arms and bitterly replied, "What, can't bother to help me out after putting me in this situation."

"Watch your tongue" Cassandra admonished, "Just because the Great Weaver is not here does not mean that it is blind to what you do and say."

Peter just shook his head, "Moving on, shouldn't you be enjoying the after-life?"

"I was."

"Then why are you here?"

"It's hard to deny the wishes of a deity."

"Yeah but, weren't you ripped away from your family?"

She gave a small, warm smile at that, "Peter, I have waited a long-time to reunite with my loved ones, I can stand to wait a few more years."

Peter gulped, "Years?"

"Or more."

"Great" he sardonically remarked, "just fantastic! I'm going to be gone for a few years?" he scoffed, "Well when I get back things are sure going to be bad."

Cassandra titled her head at that, "Surely you are exaggerating."

Peter gave a harsh laugh, "HA! Please, with me gone, most of New York will go straight down the crapper."

"Come now, you are giving yourself to much credit, and others too little."

"Please. Of all the heroes based in New York, only a handful actually patrols the streets. With me gone, the only ones that do a reliable job are Daredevil, Moon Night, Punisher and Cage. Cage has a family, which cut down his time. Moon Night is a nut, even by my standards. Daredevil has that whole thing with the Hand. And don't even get me started on Frank By the time any of the 'big time' heroes notice any thing is wrong, New York will be at DEFCON 1!" Peter was heaving by the end of his rant, then fell to his knees "Oh god…I completely forgot about Aunt May," his voice grew soft, tears welling up in his eyes, "This is going to kill her".

Cassandra frowned at the sight before her. She had seen many of Peter's bleak episodes, but this seemed to be one of the worst. "Peter" he perked up at hearing his name, "If it eases your worry, this world is out of synch with our own."

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean, that time here moves slower than in our world. A month here could be a minute there."

"…Really."

"I believe so. Furthermore you cannot let yourself fall into a depressive slump".

"…Yeah," he sighed, "I'm not giving those guys enough credit. Besides, with Hobbie, Miles, Cindy, Jessica, and Gwen around, its not like New York will have a spider shortage".

Madame Web nodded, "There you go. Now, there is still the matter of the task you have to complete".

Peter snorted indignantly, "Right, given to me by our 'Lord and Master'."

"The Great Weaver, whether you believe it or not, does care about you Peter. It would not just thrust this upon you if you were not able to do it."

"Whatever," he got to his feet, "Speaking of, why pick me? This world is full of magical psycho ninjas, I think Kaine, or one of my more violent counterparts, would be more at home here."

"And that is precisely the point."

Peter just gave Cassandra a blank stare "…You lost me there."

"Peter, your entire goal is to strengthen the Web of Life in this world. You do that by making strong bonds with others. Kaine, and those like him, that are willing to kill would provide more harm than good."

"I'm still confused."

She gave a sigh, "There are multiple bonds that make up the Web of Life. While they can be made from love, compassion, and companionship, negative emotions can make a strong bond as well. You have antagonized a great many people, people that you refuse to kill. By keeping them alive, the Web is greater for it. Kill them, and the Web weakens."

Peter nodded in understanding, "And people like Kaine would effectively tear the Web apart with their ruthlessness," Peter nodded his head back and forth, "Except, I know for a fact that Kaine has gotten better with his violent urges. Plus, he could easily make the tougher decisions when they need to be made, and I **know** they will need to be made".

Madame Web crossed her hands on her lap, "Yes, Kaine is a viable choice, but this is a delicate situation. In a world with a strong Web, a few dead foes here or there would not be a problem; but because this world's Web is so underdeveloped, any lost threads could unravel it. A single felled foe could be the thread that sends all others too oblivion".

Peter gave a heavy sigh, "…I guess that makes sense. By the way, why is this world's Web so weak?"

"You know how this world was formed, no?"

"Some crazy lady ate a mystical tree fruit, and gave birth to kids with magical ninja powers. They fought, she lost, and the kids populated this world. Human beings created ninja villages, and do ninja stuff."

Cassandra blinked, "…That is…an abridged version."

"Yeah well, didn't really have much to sift through, after that the knowledge kind of stops."

"Yes, well, when this world first formed, the Great Weaver tasked some of its subjects to tie this world to the Web. They soon forgot this mission, however, when they entered into a summoning contract some humans. The Great Weaver than gave the 'gift of the spider' to the humans that contracted with its agents, so that they could, albeit unknowingly, strengthen the Web."

"But they started dying."

"Correct. There is one living member of that family left, but he has been tainted, and is unable to provide strong threads to the Web."

"Fun. What was this I heard about a 'summoning contract'?"

"That will come later, when you have better grasped you new abilities with Chakra."

Peter looked at his hands, "Right, magic ninja juice."

"It is called-"

"Oh I know, doesn't mean I'm going to call it that."

Cassandra gave a small huff, before smirking, "Glad to see your doing better."

"Meh. I'm sure I'll breakdown at least one more time before we head home." He looked up and gave Cassandra a warm smile, "Thanks for the talk MW."

"Anytime Spider-Man. We shall meet again." And with that, the darkness closed in on Peter, sending him to the waking world.

 **A/N: Hope this answered any lingering questions as to why Kaine wasn't picked as the story's protagonist. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **(P.S. Added some things)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter: 3

Gratuitous power-ups

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter had spent the past few weeks with Tazuna's family and …learned some things. First and foremost, organic webs: a blessing considering the fact that he did not know how technologically advanced this world is, and won't have to scrounge for/invent materials.

Second, this world had striking similarities to Japan, and also didn't. He hadn't paid attention to it his first day, but after he was properly introduced to a few people they added the suffix "-san" to his name, the strange thing being that these people introduced themselves in the "western way", "personal" name first, "family" name second. Peter chalked it up to some form of quantum mechanics that he wouldn't bother trying to figure out.

He also found that he was could read this world's language. He discovered this when he found some of Tazuna's old bridge blueprints and made a few adjustments before realizing he was writing in a language that was distinctly not English.

He was also stronger, a **LOT** stronger, here than he was back in New York. His strength itself (though he had no proper way to test as he did not have any sort of actual weights) had at least doubled; given that, in a test run, he found he could lift effortlessly lift about 20 stacks of large stone blocks with one hand.

His spider-sense (and other normal senses as well i.e. he now had night vision) was also upgraded. He found that his spider-sense operated similarly to when it was upgraded during the whole Tablet debacle, in that it gave him an enhanced view of the world around him, pointing out weaknesses he can exploit in others and the environment.

Moreover, he was corresponding with Madame Web on a regular basis. Given that she was the only person who knew the truth of his whole situation, he could regularly gripe and moan to her about the unfairness of it all. She took it all in and responded with, "Yes but you must" and "Quit your prattling and make the most of it". He would snark back, and after a long session of roundabout annoyance, ended his days in much better moods.

Another less pleasing find were his stingers. Not the stingers themselves, he rationalized that they would be helpful if he ever had to engage one of those magic ninjas. No, the unpleasantness came from when they first manifested.

 **Flashback Line Break**

" _Geez, I am itchy."_ Peter had just headed back to his makeshift camp in the woods. Though he was originally staying with Tazuna, he felt bad for taking up space in their house when they could barely provide for themselves. So he decided to move into the woods and fend for himself. Tsunami had objected, but when he showed her his campsite and fire, with some freshly caught fish roasting above it, she relented.

Currently Peter was scratching his forearms, the moon was out, and he knew he should be asleep, but his arms just wouldn't stop being irritating. _"Grah! Why won't you go away?!"_ He started to claw at his arms.

" _Are you well Spider-Man?"_ a voice rang in his head.

" _Oh hey MW,"_ he mentally responded, _"Nothing much, just my arms…so…itchy."_

Madame Web grew pensive, wondering why his arms would be so itchy. She soon divined an answer, and tried o warn Peter. _"Spider-Man, stop it now!"_

" _Hmm? What are you_ -AH! SONOFA-!" The itchy spots on Peter's arms, as it turns out, were the beginnings of the openings from which his stingers would pop out. His incessant scratching forced one of them to unsheathe, in his leg.

On the plus side, he discovered he heals a lot quicker than before.

 **End Flashback Line Break**

The last "little" change he found in his body was one completely foreign to him, chakra. He could not begin to describe how it feels, nor how he has any as last he checked this world's chakra was something gifted to a certain percent at birth. All he knew was that he has it, and should probably learn how to control it.

He decided that instead of doing anything stupid like drawing I out all the power he could, he would take a page from his old pal Danny Rand aka Iron Fist and meditate. "Focusing your body, mind and soul into one construct" Danny had once called it (at least he thought Danny said so, it may have come from an old kung-fu movie he saw as a kid). Regardless, it was easier said than done. Peter spent the better part of his mornings focusing on it and came up with zilch. Unfortunately, until he learned otherwise, it was all he had.

 **Line Break**

Peter was currently sitting in the treetops, overlooking the town, and taking notes on the thugs Gato, the resident crime lord, had hired. The man himself was unimpressive, fairly short with an atrocious hair-do. But Peter knew that when it came to criminals, looks didn't mean a damn thing.

He was in the process of making some very crude spider tracers out of some (by his world's standards) ancient radio equipment. He could follow either the man or his thugs to their hideout, but he didn't want to risk running into any ninja that Gato may have hidden around.

" _Rah! I hate this!"_ Peter raged in his head, _"I can't fight back against Gato or risk massive retaliation from an unknown variable, I can't follow anyone back to his hideout due to the risk of an unknown variable!"_ Peter clutched his head gave a silent scream, _"I don't even know what I don't know!"_

" _Everything all right?"_ Madame Web queried.

" _No actually, everything is not all right, everything is the opposite of all right! I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place and all the proportionate agility of a spider won't be able to help me out in the slightest."_ His rant over, he returned to brooding.

Madame Web gave a slight hum, _"Hmmm, there may be a way to assist the people of this town."_

Peter perked up at that, _"Really? How?"_

" _Thanks to your efforts the Web of Life in this world has indeed gotten stronger. Not enough to be self-sustaining"_ Peter's head dropped a bit, _"But enough that I can glance into people's thoughts, and Tazuna has been developing an interesting idea."_

" _Pray tell"._

" _He wishes to go to a nearby ninja village, Konohagakure I believe it is called-"_

" _That's a mouthful"._

" _Indeed, now quiet, and don't interrupt,"_ Peter made a "zipping his lips" motion, _"He wishes to travel there and return with the added benefit of ninja bodyguards to help protect him and his workers as they finish the bridge"._

Peter knew what bridge she was talking about. Tazuna and his workers were building one to connect the island to the mainland, but then Gato showed up and construction grinded to a halt. _"Sounds like a good plan… What's the catch?"_

" _Tazuna is worried that hiring the ninja would be too expensive on the nation's practically drained coffers"._

Peter mused on that little tidbit. " _Hmmmm…!"_

Madame Web could sense Peter's epiphany; she gazed into his thoughts and grew a small smirk. _"Oh that is clever…do you believe he can pull it off?"_

Peter, now swinging through the trees towards Tazuna's house, spoke aloud, "I do indeed, with a little back up from yours truly".

 **A/N: Huh, I wonder what plan Peter could have in mind…? We'll see. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Hope Spot

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **"Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter had made it to Tazuna's house, opting to run the last stretch so as to not reveal his powers. He quickly knocked on the door, Tsunami answering soon after, "Good afternoon Peter-kun."

"Good afternoon Tsunami…-san. – _That's still weird-_ is your father home?"

"Not at the moment." She brought a finger to her cheek, "…Ah!" She exclaimed, "I believe he said he was going to meet with some friends in the village. Why are you asking?"

Peter paused at this, as he did not want to give her, and by extension Inari, any false hopes, and yet, "…I have a plan to save this place," Peter announced with certainty.

Tsunami's eyes grew wide at that statement. She prepared to yell at the boy in front of her to get that idea out of his head, and never think anything along those lines ever again. After all, the last time she heard those words, she became a widow. Yet, her words died in her throat as she looked into his eyes. Instead of seeing the eyes of a child -inexperience, cockiness, a headstrong gleam- she saw all the traits that belonged to her late husband –confidence, maturity, a hard shine that said "I will see this through". She dropped her head and gave a sigh.

"…Peter-kun?" She questioned softly.

Peter gulped and grew nervous, thinking that she might cry " _Dammit,_ _you shouldn't have said anything Parker!-_ …Yes?"

She then looked up with a soft smile on her face, small pools of tears in her eyes "Be safe."

Peter was stunned for a bit, before he smiled in turn and gave a salute, "Yes ma-am!" He then turned and started running to town.

Tsunami watched him leave, and then looked up towards the sky, _"Watch over this boy Kaiza. Maybe he will be able to see your wish through."_

 **Line Break**

Peter had been running all over town looking for Tazuna. He wasn't at any of his usual hangouts, the bar being closed and the stream where he usually goes fishing being currently occupied by some of Gato's men. Peter's last stop was the bridge, where, lucky for him, Tazuna was at, staring mournfully at the incomplete structure. Tazuna turned around upon hearing Peter's footsteps. "Peter-kun," he said, "What are you doing here?"

Peter responded, "Running all over town looking for you is what."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow at that, "Why?"

"Cause I got a way we can get this place out from Gato's control." He chose to ignore Tazuna's forlorn sigh "We go to a nearby ninja village and hire ninja bodyguards to keep you and the other workers safe while you guys finish the bridge".

Tazuna blinked, "…I have been having the same thoughts Peter-kun, believe me, but we don't have the money to hire ninja for such an expensive job".

Peter nodded his head, "True, we don't have the funds for full-time bodyguards," he mouth grew to a wide smirk, "but we might have enough for armed escorts. After all, you are this village's most skilled carpenter, and the roads are just filled with bandits."

Tazuna's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "…You want me to…lie to people that could easily kill me…with their pinkies."

"…Yes."

Tazuna stared at Peter before he burst into laughter, "HAHAHA! Kid don't you know you're too young to be drinking?!" He laughter tapered off however, when he saw that Peter was dead serious. He gave a long sigh, "…Look, its just too dangerous, I mean how could I-"

"Get drunk".

Tazuna was taken aback, "Excuse me?"

"Well, not really drunk but buzzed enough that it would be difficult to tell a whether or not you're lying. I'd estimate about one, maybe one and a half bottles of sake before you can act convincing enough".

Tazuna was silent for a few moments, deep in thought, "…You've given this a lot of consideration huh?" Peter nodded his head in affirmation. Tazuna looked down before he turned his gaze towards the setting sun.

" _Alright,"_ Peter thought, _"Looks like I got him hooked, now to reel him in."_ Peter cleared his throat, catching Tazuna's attention, "Look, we both know that things here won't get better unless someone actually does something. Look at this bridge," Peter gestured around him, "You are about 60% done with this thing. And with full manpower it shouldn't take you more than a week to wrap it up." "The people here need something, _someone_ , to believe in. Kaiza almost managed to fulfill that role," Tazuna flinched at the awful memory that name brought up, "but was cut down, and took the hope he instilled down with him." Peter paused before continuing his speech, "What we have in front of us, right now, is another spot of hope. A chance to give these people their lives back. A chance to drive Gato and his band of thugs out and to the hills. A chance that your family might be happy again…. Tazuna, you walk away, you kill that one, singular sliver of hope, and Gato wins." His speech complete, Peter waited for Tazuna's response.

Tazuna himself was still looking towards the sun. He stared into the horizon for a tense moment. "You know something Peter-kun," he turned to face the aforementioned boy, "you're right. To give up now would tarnish Kaiza's memory." He nodded with conviction, "I may not survive this, hell, as soon as those ninja find out I'm lying to them they might kill me on the spot. But I'd rather die doing something to make things better, to help my family, than hiding like a coward." He gave a short sigh followed by a sharp nod, "In a week I'll be heading to Konoha to get those ninja."

"Great, I'll pack my bags."

"…What?"

"What 'what'? I'm going with you."

Tazuna shook his head "No, you're staying here."

Peter gave sigh of irritation, "Look, if it's because of my age-"

"I know you have special abilities kid."

Peter felt a lump form in his throat, and sweat form on the back of his neck. _"How could he know"_? Peter started to formulate a quick cover-up, "S-special abilities, what are you-"

Tazuna interrupted his flimsy excuse in the making, "You said you ran all over town looking for me, and yet when you found me you were strangely not out of breathe."

"Well I-"

"Not to mention," Tazuna stopped him short again, "that you have been hunting rabbit, foxes, and other small animals for food, and I haven't any traps anywhere around your campsite; just some odd and sticky white string" Tazuna gave Peter a questioning glance, who merely slumped down upon realizing his rookie mistakes. "Now, I'm not criticizing you for not attacking Gato, it would be suicide given his army, and I won't pry as I believe everyone is entitled to their secrets. What I will ask however is that you keep Tsunami and Inari safe. Gato will no doubt piece together why I left for Konoha, and send someone to kill me."

Peter spoke up again, "Precisely why you need protection."

"Peter listen" Tazuna spoke with a forceful tone, "What I'm doing," he gestured to both of them, "what we're planning, will mean nothing if my family gets killed in the process. I'll be fine, by the time Gato sends anyone I will have made it to Konoha. But Tsunami and Inari, they're sitting ducks. I am asking you, please, keep them safe."

Peter looked straight up at Tazuna's face, and saw grim determination. He was going to go through with this, even if it killed him. But that didn't mean he was willing to let his family get caught in the crossfire. Peter gave Tazuna a soft smile, "You know what Tazuna, and you're a good man. If this goes south, I'm glad I met you."

Tazuna reciprocated the smile, "And the same to you. Now come on, we have to let Tsunami know what's going on. And I'll have to tell a few of my workers to get their tools ready." Hope restored, and a goal in mind, Tazuna led Peter to his home, to finalize their plan to revive the Land of Waves.

 **A/N: I always found it strange that Gato never sent anyone to Tsunami and Inari while Tazuna was out of town. I mean yeah, he does eventually do it, but only when the bridge is like 90% complete, after Tazuna had hired four ninja to protect him. For a ruthless businessman, he didn't capitalize on the fact that he could have easily captured a small child and a widow, and thereby threaten Tazuna to give up (and then publically execute them as another way to instill fear). Whatever. Anyway, be sure to review. Later.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

No ham for you.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter was currently waiting by the docks, as he had been for the past few days, waiting to greet Tazuna, _"Assuming he wasn't killed"._

" _Spider-Man!"_ Madame Web admonished him, _"Don't think so negatively. This was you're plan, you need to think positively. Besides, I would tell you if something happened to him"._

Peter raised an eyebrow at the statement, _"I thought you said that the further away he went from me, the less you could look into his mind?"_

" _True,"_ she hummed, _"But I would still feel if he died since his thread would be cut. And so far nothing bad has happened"._

Peter just shrugged and looked out in the distance. He waited about an hour more and decided to head back to Tazuna's house. He had moved his camp closer to their home since the man left, in fear that Gato would send someone after them. To his surprise however, Gato had done no such thing. This brought two scenarios to Peter's mind. Either 1), Gato was just biding his time in order to build up a suitable force to combat any ninja that Tazuna would bring back; or 2), the thought of holding Tsunami and Inari hostage had never occurred to him. Peter was banking on the latter.

Tsunami and Inari themselves had taken Tazuna and Peter's plan with varying degrees of acceptance. Tsunami was surprisingly compliant, wishing her father a safe and worthwhile trip. Inari on the other hand, that kid has a degree of nihilism that is unhealthy for anyone. Peter had tried to help the kid out, really. Inari just wouldn't listen. If they had more time and the threat of death wasn't hanging over their heads, Peter would have continued to try and achieve a breakthrough, but he had bigger fish to fry and decided to try and break Inari out of his shell after the bridge was built and Gato was out of the picture.

 **Line Break**

Peter was once again waiting by the docks; the difference being that Madame Web had told him that Tazuna was on his way with four others. Peter was excited and worried, since that meant Tazuna had managed to hire some ninja, and that he now had to do his best to help Tazuna keep them here without them finding out too early about the truth of the job.

There was a lot of fog out on the lake, perfect cover to bring in Tazuna and his escorts. The rower ( _"I really should find out his name"_ ) had been eager to do his part and lay low until the whole mess was over. Honestly, Peter didn't blame him.

"… _Spider-Man"_. Madame Web began in his head, an apprehensive tone in her voice.

" _Yeah MW?"_ Peter's heartbeat increased slightly, _"Is there an…issue? Please say no"._

Madame Web was silent, _"…Take a look for yourself"._

Peter's vision darkened, and was replaced by a black background with four figures standing in front. The first one was a tall and almost lanky looking man with a green vest over a bark blue shirt, dark blue pants with a pouch attached on his right leg, and bandaged feet in sandals. Half his face was covered with a mask, and he had a headband with an insignia on a metal plate- _"Probably his village's symbol"_ \- covering his left eye. His hair was…white and spiked up. All in all Peter thought he was acceptable. When he turned to the other three figures however…

" _OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"_ The other three figures, to his dread, were children, two boys and a girl. One boy in a dark blue shirt with dark eyes and hair, the back of which stuck out like some sort of tail: the other boy in an obnoxiously orange jumpsuit with blue eyes, spikey blonde hair, and three whisker-like scars on his face: and the girl, with long pink hair in a red dress- _"WHAT KINDA NINJA WEARS A DRESS"_ \- and bright green eyes. _"THESE PEOPLE SEND OUT CHILDREN? AS NINJAS?"_

Madame Web decided to play devil's advocate in order to try and alleviate some of Peter's aggression, _"Now wait a moment. Perhaps we should not judge these three solely on their age. You of all people should know that appearances can be very can be very deceiving"_.

Peter took a moment to collect himself, _"…Yeah, you got a point. Besides, maybe these kids have been raised as ninja since birth, and this is just an average job for them…Yeah…positive thoughts…these aren't rookie ninja children, these are hardened child soldiers...That doesn't make feel better"_. Madame Web just gave a mental shrug, and Peter chose to let it go. Just in time too, as the rower had entered his view. Within a few minutes he and his passengers had entered the dock.

Peter and Tazuna had decided that when Tazuna had returned Peter would be there in order "ham things up" as it were. Insist the ninja stay for all their hard work and then hope that they stay in order to help with the whole Gato business.

After the group of people said goodbye to the rower Peter walked up to them, the four new people blinked at the boy in front of them, and Tazuna looked like he had to say something, but Peter cut him off. "Greetings ninja," Peter gave a deep bow, "thank you for making sure Tazuna-san came home safe. I'm sure he was in very capable hands".

The four ninja had different reactions. The adult raised an uncovered eyebrow at the scene, the dark haired boy grunted in indifference, the girl blushed a bit, and the blonde smiled before yelling out in a loud voice, "Of course! The old man was under the protection of Team 7, the greatest ninja team in the whole world!"

Peter winced at the kid's voice, "Well then, surely you all deserve some reward. Why don't we head over to Tazuna-san's place, I have some fresh fish that would make a good meal".

Once again, it was the blonde who spoke, "That'd be great! After all, we're going to need full stomachs if we're going to beat up that Gato guy".

Peter was nonplussed, "…What?"

"Gato, ya'know? The guy that turned your village to crap."

Peter gave a quizzical glance to Tazuna, who coughed into his hand, "They, uh, found out the truth a little earlier than I had hoped".

Peter gave a thoughtful hum and nodded before turning around and issuing a gruff command, "Well come on then, we're burning daylight".

The kid ninjas' eyes (but not the adult's) widened at the change in tone, and the blonde one (again) angrily asked, "Hey! What's with you?"

Peter gave him an annoyed look, "Listen kid. You know the truth of the matter; so I have no need to lie or debase myself in order to gain your favor. Tazuna and I are risking a lot bringing you here, and I for one would feel much safer once we get somewhere I know is safe".

The blonde was about to yell at Peter, but the adult ninja stopped him, "Calm down Naruto-kun," the man said, "Kid's got a point. This isn't the time to mess around". Naruto, as Peter now knew him by, seemed mollified, but still huffed in annoyance. The adult turned to Peter, his single eye curving upward to indicate a smile.

"Hello there, I am Kakashi Hatake, leader of Team 7". He gestured to Naruto, "This is Naruto Uzumaki," the girl, who waved, "Sakura Haruno," and the final boy, who just gave Peter a blank stare, "and Sasuke Uchiha. My genin squad."

Peter gestured to himself, "Peter Parker". All four raised an eyebrow at the odd name, "And sorry for being rude, but we really should get going".

Kakashi gave a short nod, "Of course" as he, his squad, and Tazuna followed Peter to Tazuna's house.

Madame Web, who had been silent during the exchange, chose now to grab Peter's attention, _"Those three are very important to our mission Spider-Man"_.

Peter raised a metaphorical eyebrow, _"Which three?"_

" _Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke"_.

" _What about the girl, Sakura?"_

" _Inconsequential"_.

" _Harsh"_.

" _But true. Kakashi's threads are odd, there a quite a few connected to him, each with varying degrees of affection or hate, and yet he himself holds only sadness in his heart, to say nothing of the strongest thread, which he himself seems to be unaware of"._

" _Unaware?"_

" _Yes. I cannot see who it is, but the person on the other end holds a variety of different emotions towards Kakashi"_.

" _Well, we'll deal with that as it comes along. What about the boys?"_

" _Well, Sasuke has only a few threads connected to him, but one stands out above the rest. Whoever the person on the other end is, Sasuke hates them with a passion. And yet…they hold only love for Sasuke, it is very confusing"_.

" _Naruto?"_

" _Naruto has a great many strands connected to him, and almost all are filled with contempt"._

Peter gave Naruto a discrete glance, _"Really? I mean, kid's a little loud but…"_

" _I cannot explain why, al-hold on"._

" _Holding"_.

" _There is a thread…interwoven...with the boy, and…oh my…"_

" _What?"_

"… _I do not know what it is, but whatever is connected with the boy, it is old, and contains naught more than rage"._

"… _Let's put a pin on that, try and figure that out when we complete our goal here"_.

" _Agreed"_. Madame Web withdrew from Peter's mind, to devote some time into the conundrum's the three ninja are surrounded by.

 **A/N: I'm ending this here because I would rather devote all of next chapter to the fight with Zabuza. Also, let me just say that the whole comment about Sakura being inconsequential is not me hating on her. I'm just saying that, in line with Peter and MW's long term mission, she is not as immediately valuable as Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto, who, whether they acknowledge them or not, have a multitude of bonds that will further strengthen the world's web once Peter establishes a connection with them. That does not mean that I am going to ignore Sakura (or anyone else in Konoha for that matter) in this story, just that Peter is going to devote more time befriending those three. Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

NINJA FIGHT!

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter and the others had been walking for a while now. Along the way, Peter learned a few things about his new companions, well, the kids at least, Kakashi was a consummate professional and didn't reveal/say anything aside from the occasional dry comment towards his charges. The kids though, they were open books, for the most part. From Peter could gather, Naruto had a crush on Sakura, who had a crush on Sasuke, who didn't seem to care much for anything. From that, it was easy for Peter to see that any challenges Naruto issued forth to (who could carry everyone's supplies, who could run to Tazuna's place the fastest, etc.) were an attempt to woo Sakura. Sakura in turn would get annoyed at Naruto's advances, and yell at him to "stop annoying Sasuke-kun!" (In other news, the girl had some lungs). Peter had to smile at their exchanges, remembering a simpler time when his biggest worry in life was opposite sex, and not getting stuffed in a locker.

They had been walking for about 30 minutes when Peter's spider sense went off. But it was a subtle one, the danger was present, but was not focused entirely on him. Peter supposed that it was an assassin sent to kill Tazuna.

 **Line Break**

Indeed, there was someone there with the intent to kill Tazuna, hiding high in the trees. Zabuza Momochi had accepted the bounty on the bridge builder, after all, the pay was good, and it was just one elderly man. At least, those were his thoughts until the Demon Brothers failed to report in a few days ago. Now that he knew Tazuna hired bodyguards, one of whom being the (in)famous Copy-nin Kakashi, Zabuza could tell that he had his work cut out for him, not that he didn't relish the challenge. _"Still, I'm glad I told Haku to standby, things could get messy and I might need a quick escape"._ Zabuza was gazing intently on the group, four children, three of whom wore Konoha bands, Tazuna, and Kakashi, Tazuna in the middle of the group, Kakashi right beside him, and the kids a little further ahead. _"Just a few more yards and they'll reach the trap. Then I should be able to hopefully take Kakashi out fast, and then I can kill the others at my leisure"._ Zabuza smirked underneath his bandages, but then frowned when he saw one of the kids trip and fall. The fall itself wasn't of note, but the way the boy swept his gaze along the treetops, _"…Could…no_ ". Zabuza shook his head, _"No, you're being paranoid. Besides, even if the brat is a ninja, he'll be easy to take out"._

 **Line Break**

Peter was dusting himself off, having taken a fall to try and discreetly pinpoint where the person who triggered his spider sense was. Unfortunately, all he got was a general direction, anymore looking around and he would have given something away. He heard Sakura's voice beside him, "Are you all right Peter-san?"

Peter turned and a gave small laugh, "Oh yeah. Just tripped over my own two feet is all. No need to worry". Sakura smiled and nodded in return.

Naruto, a few feet behind them, was seething with jealousy, _"Oh come on!"_ he raged in his head, _"It's bad enough that I gotta compete the Sasuke-teme, but now I gotta deal with this guy. Well just you wait Sakura-chan, I'll show you what I can do!"_

A plan in mind, Naruto ran ahead of the others, peering intently at the shrubbery around them. All of a sudden, he cried out, and threw a kunai to his right…nothing happened. Kakashi, who was content to stay silent as he tried to assess the danger they may face, spoke up, "Umm, Naruto-kun, I don't think anything was hiding in the bushes".

Naruto stayed still for a few seconds, before loudly proclaiming, "Maybe, but what about over here!" He threw another kunai to his left, and jumped over, moving the bushes to reveal, a white rabbit, frozen in place out of fright.

Everyone treated the scene differently. Sakura immediately went over to hit Naruto on the head and chastise him for almost killing a harmless rabbit, Tazuna facepalmed, and Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. Peter and Kakashi however, were beginning to worry. Both had realized that it was much too early in the year for a rabbit to have white fur, and were certain that an attack was imminent. Kakashi then heard a _whoosh_ noise from behind them, and would have yelled out, but Peter, surprisingly, beat him to the punch, "HIT THE DIRT!" Peter tackled Tazuna to the ground, while Kakashi and his students all dove as well.

A large sword flew overhead and embedded itself in a tree. A man then landed on the hilt. He was a tall, slightly pale, and well-fit looking man with black spiky hair and dark eyes, wearing a pair of gray-blue pants with gray-camo leg and arm warmers. He had a harness on his chest, most likely for his sword, bandages wound across the lower half of his face, and a headband tied off center on his forehead, with four diagonal lines on the metal plate. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna all felt a fear at the sight of the imposing figure, but Kakashi and Peter (though he had to fake fright) only had a calm sense of determination. The man spoke, "Well, well. Suppose this would explain why the Demon Brother's failed their assignment. Had I known that Copy-nin Kakashi of the Sharingan was keeping the old man safe, I wouldn't have sent them at all".

Kakashi glared at the man, but the others, save for Sasuke were confused at what a "Sharingan" was, Naruto voiced their thoughts, "Hey, what the heck is a 'Sharingan'?"

To the group's surprise, it was Sasuke, who was quiet for the majority of the trip, who answered, "The Sharingan is a special doujutsu that allows the user to see through an opponents genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. That person can then copy the technique and send it back to their opponent in seconds".

"That's nice and all," Peter caught everyone's attention, "but I for one would like to know the identity of the man who just tried to cleave our heads off".

"His name is Zabuza," Kakashi answered him, his headband raised to reveal a scar going down his eye, the organ itself red with a black pupil and three comma-like symbols surrounding it, "Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist".

Zabuza grinned at the recognition, and would have responded, were it not for a peculiar sound. He and the others turned towards the source, and saw Peter, who was trying not to laugh. Eventually, Peter couldn't hold it in anymore, and doubled over with laughter. No one knew how to respond, even Zabuza was looking on in shock at the sight. Tazuna was the first to break from the astonishment, "Ar-are you okay Peter?"

Peter was about to respond, but the dissolved into laughter once more. After about half a minute, he gained enough control over his laughter to stop and speak coherently, "Haha…whew, hold up there. You're name," he gestured to Zabuza, "is 'Momochi' right?" Zabuza nodded his head, "'Momo'? As in the fruit, otherwise known as a," he chuckled, "a peach?" Zabuza, and the others, failed to see where this was going. Peter started laughing again, "*snort*…In other words…once could call you *giggle* 'Peaches'. HAHA! Peaches the Demon!" Peter was now on the ground, laughing hysterically. Everyone was gaping at the fact that Peter, a (as far as they knew) civilian kid, was laughing at, mocking, a veteran ninja and trained killer, in his face. "I was going to call you bandy, you know, cause of the bandages, but this, man I could not make it better even if I tried".

Kakashi, who could tell that Zabuza was slowly but surely getting more and more pissed off, tried to calm Peter down, "Peter-san, maybe you don't understand, Zabuza-"

Peter waved him off mid-sentence, "Oh I'm sure he did horrible things to earn his name, probably kicked a few puppies and stole some nerd's lunch money, but honestly, I don't really care. From hence forth, no matter what he does, he shall always be known to me as 'Peaches'".

The others were still frozen in shock, though Naruto did snicker, "Actually," the blonde began, "that is kinda funny". He would have laughed harder if a cold mist had not settled in out of nowhere.

They all turned to look at Zabuza, but he, and his sword, weren't in the tree. Kakashi then yelled out, "Team 7, Manji formation! Protect Tazuna". Team 7 formed a triangle in front of Tazuna, kunai held in defensive positions. Kakashi then said, "be careful everyone. Zabuza was a member of the Hidden Mist's ANBU unit, and is a master of the silent killing technique".

A harsh laugh reverberated through the fog, "That's right Kakashi, and you brat," no one needed to be told who he directed the venom filled 'brat' to, "are going to get a very…intimate lesson as to why". Zabuza leapt through the fog and slashed downward where Peter stood. The sword sliced into the Earth cleanly, and Zabuza gave a cruel smirk, but paused when he thought that something felt odd about the swing, there was surprisingly little resistance.

His eyes widened in surprise when he heard a low whistle, "Damn, that is one big sword, you compensating for something…Peaches?" To everyone's immense disbelief, Peter was unharmed, just left of the blade, and for those that could see, a smug smile was plastered on his face. Zabuza would have swung at Peter again, but had to dodge some shuriken sent his way by Kakashi.

Zabuza landed in the middle of a nearby lake, glaring intently at Peter, "Kid, I don't know how you managed to evade my strike, but I am going to enjoy killing you".

Peter didn't lose his smile, "Better than you have tried and failed. Though, a few have succeeded, still more impressive than a shirtless Jesus rip-off". Zabuza didn't know who that was, but he was shaking in anger all the same. Peter then noticed something odd. It was like…an overt aggressive…feeling permeating the air. Peter himself was unaffected, and it looked like Kakashi was as well, but looking back at Tazuna and the others, they weren't faring as well. Tazuna, it seemed, had peed his pants, Sakura looked ready to faint, Naruto was beginning to hyperventilate, and Sasuke was…holding his kunai in front of his chest, pointy end first. Peter was about yank it out of his hands with a web line when Kakashi yelled out, "Don't worry!" He then turned to his squad; his eyes curved upward, "I'm not about to let anything happen to my team. That's a promise". That seemed to do the trick, snapping the three out of whatever caught hold of them.

Zabuza let out a chuckle, "Big words". He was holding a pose, and had composed himself greatly, though his eyes were filled with rage, "Let's see if you can deliver". He vanished in a spray of mist. Everyone kept a sharp eye out for Zabuza. "Eight points," his voice rang in the clearing, "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian arteries, kidneys, and the heart. I wonder, which will be the kill point". Peter was growing more and more anxious. Since he began to insult Zabuza, his spider sense went ballistic, indicating that he, and not Tazuna, was in the assassin's sights. Now however, his spider sense was lessening, which could only mean that Zabuza had shifted his attention back onto Tazuna. He focused on the sense, intent on finding Zabuza before he could strike. The man was fast, never staying in one spot for long. Then, to Peter's dread, he stopped, right in the middle of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, right in front of Tazuna. He yelled out, "Tazuna in front of you!"

Everyone turned to look in front of Tazuna, and Zabuza was there, much to Team 7's shock. Zabuza spoke, "Too Late!" But before he could do anything, Kakashi had jumped in, punching him square in the chest. Zabuza doubled over in pain, but then, to all but Kakashi's shock, dissolved into water. Before Kakashi could react, another Zabuza jumped forward and cut him in half. Zabuza gave a dark laugh and everyone cried out in shock, but then they noticed that the liquid falling to the ground was not blood, but water. Zabuza then felt cold steel on his neck, followed by the words, "Come now, did you honestly think you were the only one who knew that little trick. It's over Zabuza". Naruto, who had jumped away along with his teammates and Tazuna once Kakashi jumped in, expressed awe and wonder over Kakashi's triumphant moves, "Woah…Sensei, that was amazing!" Sakura and Sasuke too were looking at their mentor in awe. Their praise was cut short however, when Zabuza started to talk.

"I must admit, I am impressed, you managed to copy my jutsu and made your own clone while I was focused on the old man, impressive, really. Unfortunately for you" Kakashi felt a pit in his stomach as those words came from behind him, "I saw that coming from a mile away!" Zabuza swung, and Kakashi ducked, but as the sword struck the ground, Zabuza turned around and kicked Kakashi into the air, and then he fell into the water. Zabuza quickly followed, diving into the lake.

Naruto voiced his disbelief, "No way…sensei".

Sakura as well, "He was kicked straight into the water".

Sasuke too, "What strength".

Tazuna, well he was (understandably) speechless.

Can't forget about Peter, _"…Shit…"_

Kakashi soon bobbed up, much to their pleasure, _"This water,"_ he thought, _"it's…denser than it should be"_.

Zabuza appeared behind, went through a few hand signs, and roared, "Water Prison Jutsu!" Kakashi was immediately brought to the surface in a bubble of water, one of Zabuza's hands sticking in it. Kakashi pushed with all his might, but could not break free, "Don't bother," Zabuza said, "You're trapped in a bubble of water stronger than steel. I'll only release this jutsu after the others are dead, after which you'll be easy pickings". He then made a sign with his free hand, "Water Clone Jutsu", and a copy of him formed from the lake.

" _Dammit,"_ Kakashi berated himself, _"He's more skilled than I thought"_.

The clone made it to dry land, and started to speak, glaring at the rest of Team 7, "So, you call yourselves ninja?" It scoffed, "When you-" it was cut off however as a white rope attached itself to its face.

"That's enough out of you," Peter's voice rang through the clearing. Everyone followed the string back to him; it was coming from his wrist, his hand in an odd sign. Peter yanked the string, and the clone shot towards Peter. Once in range, Peter slammed its head to the ground, dissipating it. "That all you got…Peaches?" Zabuza's face contorted in rage. He made the sign again, and summoned forth more clones, half a dozen, who all rushed Peter. He looked over to the other kids; "It might be in everyone's best interest if you freed your sensei, just a thought". He then leapt forward to meet the clones head-on.

Naruto shook himself off of the shocking revelation and put on a determined face, "He's right! C'mon guys, we've gotta save Kakashi-sensei!" He was about to run forward, but Sakura stopped him.

"Wait Naruto!" He turned to look at her, "You can't just charge in like an idiot. Zabuza is still a jonin, and we are just three genin".

"She's right Naruto," Sasuke had joined in, "Alone we don't stand a chance. But," he paused to make sure he had their attention, "remember what sensei has been teaching us, teamwork. We need to come up with a plan if we want to free sensei".

Naruto actually paused in thought, looking down at the ground. He soon gained a smile on his face though, and looked to Sasuke, who looked back, intrigued. Naruto then began to whisper his plan.

 **Line Break**

Zabuza was pissed off, probably more pissed off than he had been in a long time. This…brat (not even a ninja) had insulted him, in his face, repeatedly, and was now ducking and weaving through six (now three) of his water clones like he was having the time of his life, all the while still hurling insults at Zabuza. He was so incensed; that he almost didn't notice the giant shuriken headed his way, almost.

He shot out his hand, effortlessly catching it, he looked over to the mainland, shooting a cocky smirk at Sasuke, who had thrown it, "Gonna have to try harder than that brat!" Sasuke was still gazing intently. Zabuza then noticed that a second shuriken was headed his way, _"Hmm, a shadow shuriken to hit me after I caught the first. Trying to force me to move eh? Smart. But not smart enough"_. Indeed, Zabuza just hopped over the shuriken, glaring at Sasuke, "You can't touch me kid!" But Sasuke just smirked. Zabuza grew puzzled, but heard a puff come from behind him, and saw that the shuriken had transformed into the other kid, poised to throw a kunai, _"A transformation!"_ Naruto threw the kunai, and Zabuza, not wanting to get seriously injured, was forced to dodge the projectile, letting go of the water orb, freeing Kakashi. Naruto and Sakura cheered at the plans success.

Zabuza stood on the water's surface, glaring in contempt at those around him. He noticed that the boy, Peter, was now alone, smiling back. Zabuza would have jumped forward to cut him to oblivion, but was forced to block a strike from Kakashi wielding a kunai. "Thanks, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," he looked at each of his students; "I knew you could get me out". He then turned to glare at Zabuza, "Now then, I believe we have some unfinished business".

Zabuza snarled in response, "My thoughts exactly". They each jumped backwards, and both began to weave through handsigns. Zabuza looked at Kakashi's movements in confusion until he realized that Kakashi was doing the exact same movements he was, at the exact same time. _"But that's impossible, he would have to be-"_.

"Reading my mind?" Kakashi finished Zabuza's thought. "Well, I'm not, reading your mind at least, but your face is and open book". Zabuza gave a low growl, but it turned into a cry of shock as Kakashi finished his handsigns before Zabuza did, "Water Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi cried. A giant spear of water formed in front of Kakashi, and shot forward with great speed, taking Zabuza along for the ride, screaming the whole way. He crashed into a tree across the clearing, and would have gotten up, save for the fact that several kunai and shuriken lodged themselves into his body. Kakashi was crouching on a branch above him, "And now," he raised a kunai, aimed at Zabuza's head, "to end this". And he would have, were it not for the fact that Zabuza cried out in pain before crashing to the ground. Kakashi looked around, and saw, sitting on a tree branch, a person in a green kimono, their hair tied in a bun, and white mask that had the hidden mist's symbol on the forehead. _"Hunter-nin,"_ he thought. He jumped down to Zabuza's body, and saw two senbon needles stuck in his neck, " _Needles? Why…"_ His musings were interrupted however, as Tazuna, his students, sans Naruto, and Peter caught up.

The hunter-nin turned to look at Kakashi, "Thank you, for dealing with Zabuza for me. I have been tracking him for a few weeks now. I would have had to face him myself, and I did not like those odds. It was fortunate for me that you had appeared when you did".

"Yes, fortunate," Kakashi dryly replied.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto yelled out. They all turned to see him soaking wet, just having climbed onto to dry land. He pointed a finger at the hunter-nin, "Who do you think you are!"

Sakura replied, "That's a hunter-nin Naruto". He didn't respond to her words. She rolled her eyes, "Hunter-nin hunt down rouge ninja to bring them back to their village before any of their secrets can be shared".

"That's not the point!" Sakura backed up in surprise at the outburst.

Kakashi stepped up, Sharingan eye covered, "Naruto calm-"

"NO! Its just…Zabuza was like some sort of monster; he was insane. You had a hard time against him sensei". He then pointed to the hunter-nin, "And then this guy, someone not that much bigger than me comes along, and takes him out like it was nothing. How is that fair?"

The hunter-nin had jumped down to collect Zabuza's body. "It is not I am afraid," the hunter-nin began to apologize, "But that is the life of a ninja. Surprise is just around the corner". The hunter-nin had crouched down and grabbed hold of Zabuza's body, making a handsign. "Goodbye", and then disappeared in the wind.

Naruto gave a snarl of irritation before kneeling down and punching the ground. "Why?" he shouted, "Why are we here? What's the point?" He would have punched the ground once, but Peter caught his arm.

"Well," Peter began, "I'm no expert on ninja and their learning process, but I'd think this is an opportunity for you to learn that, at times, things won't turn out the way you want or hope. And instead of whining and moaning about it, you can take it in stride, and move on with your life. Besides, you're here to keep Tazuna safe, and I don't think you wanna be known as the guy who quit in the middle of his most important job thus far in his life". Naruto looked up at Peter before he gained a soft smile due to the kind words.

That smile grew into a full-blown grin as he stood up however, "By the way, you were awesome! How did you do all that, and what was that rope you shot out of your hand?" Peter gulped at that, (foolishly) hoping that his little spectacle would be forgotten in light of recent events. He then felt a hand clap his shoulder, and saw Kakashi's "happy" face.

"Oh yes, you have quite a bit of explaining to do young man. Of course, that can wait until we get to Tazuna's place". Kakashi waved for everyone to follow, but didn't get more that a few feet away before he froze. A second later he fell to the ground, unmoving. Everyone gasped in shock, and Naruto immediately ran up to Kakashi, trying to shake him awake.

"Sensei? Sensei wake up!" Naruto was beginning to shake Kakashi hard, and would have continued had Peter not stopped him.

"Stop shaking him" he commanded, and Naruto listened. Peter put a hand to Kakashi's neck, "…He's got a pulse," and a hand in front of his face, "…And he's still breathing. Going to need a stretcher. Sasuke-san, Sakura-san, Naruto-san, Tazuna" they gave him their attention, "Go find me some sticks and branches, the bigger the better", they were rooted in place, he groaned, "Now!" That got the moving.

They returned a few minutes later, with several sticks and branches in each arm. Peter laid them all out in two parallel lines. He then spun a net of webbing between each of them, making a space for Kakashi to rest comfortably, the others looked on in wonder. Peter then, single-handedly to the others growing surprise, moved Kakashi on the makeshift stretcher. He then wrapped Kakashi up in some webbing, further securing him, "Naruto-san, Sasuke-san," he said, "You two are going to need to carry Kakashi to Tazuna's place. Be very careful, and very fast, the webbing will dissolve in about an hour".

Sasuke spoke up, "Hold on, webb-"

"Look," Peter interrupted, "I'll answer any questions you have after Kakashi is somewhere safe where he can properly rest. Sakura-san, Tazuna, you guys are coming with me. You'll need to help Tsunami prepare a place for him and get some medicine ready. I'll come back for you guys once those two are dropped off".

"Well how will we get there before Naruto and Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Peter gave a smirk, "Hope you don't get motion sick".

"What are talking abou-AAAAAAHHHHH!" Sakura gave a high-pitched shriek when Peter, in one quick move, picked up both Sakura and Tazuna and began jumping through the treetops at high speed, occasionally using his webs to propel him further.

Sasuke and Naruto stared on in wonder at the sight, before Naruto grumbled, "Who does he think he is, touching Sakura-chan like that".

Sasuke rolled his eyes before smacking him on the head, getting his attention, "Focus dobe". With that the two carefully picked up Kakashi's stretcher, and began to jog in the direction the others went.

 **A/N: So, now Team 7 knows Peter has special powers. What will come of it? What will Peter share? Will Kakashi buy any lies Peter will (inevitably) have to tell? On another, more Meta note, do you know how annoying it is that the names Zabuza and Tazuna both sound similar, and share many of the same letters? I swear most of my revisions went into swapping out their names since I typed in the wrong one. Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

In which explanations are given.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Kakashi had been having a rough time in dreamland, but you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him. All those years of training had conditioned him to stay still while unconscious, so as to minimize the chance of getting discovered by enemy forces. It was probably for the best in this situation too; for his students, especially Naruto, would have done there "best" to "alleviate" his discomfort if they found out he was having nightmares.

 **Kakashi's Mind**

Kakashi was watching a particularly brutal cycle of scenes from his past, which is to say, almost every pivotal moment of his life. It started with him coming home as a child to find his dead father, to seeing his best friend (though he did not care to acknowledge it at the time) get crushed under a boulder, accidentally stabbing and killing Rin, one of the few people he had left to care for in life, and rounding out the trauma, the news that his sensei had died subduing the Kyuubi. Unknown to him however, he had another watching in his mind.

Madame Web, ever the opportunist, decided to take a precursory look into Kakashi's mind in order to better help Peter formulate an effective tale to avoid suspicion of his true origins. He would not approve, she knew how Peter felt about such blazon abuse of one's powers, but she was tasked to ensure that he completed his mission, and this would help that endeavor.

She only meant to look for information on the land's current geopolitical state in order to determine what would be a plausible place for Peter to have once lived, honestly, but the pain that Kakashi was going through was too intense for her to not feel it. Upon seeing what was causing him such distress, she felt nothing but pity in her heart. _"My word. This young man has gone through much hardship. More than most could hope stomach"_. In an act of goodwill (and an excuse to give Peter for delving into another's mind unaware) she subtly changed his dreams. Focusing on the happy memories as opposed to the sad ones. She then left, so as to not make the man aware of her presence.

 **Real World**

Kakashi slowly opened his eyes, letting the morning rays of the sun warm up his body. _"Hmm…I haven't slept that good in…year's,"_ for as long as he could remember, Kakashi's nights were spent in either dreamless sleep or sweat-inducing nightmares. He could count on his fingers the number of really good dreams he had in the last decade, _"Wait, this isn't my…"_ Kakashi had noted that the room he was lying in was not his own, _"…Oh! I must have passed out after fighting Zabuza…That shouldn't have happened…I'm out of practice. Since leading Team 7 I have been neglecting my own training, I'll have to remedy that soon"_. He then moved to get up, but felt a sharp pain in his leg. He patted it down, and to his relief, felt nothing broken, _"Just a sprain then…shouldn't take more that a few days to heal up. Good, that'll give me enough time to_ -" he was interrupted by the door to his room opening.

He turned to see a young woman with blue hair in a red dress carrying a towel and a bowl of water. She saw he was up, "Oh! You're awake. Good. Those students of yours are worried sick".

Kakashi just gave an eye smile, "I can imagine. If you don't mind…" he trailed off, realizing he didn't know her name.

The woman realized as well, "Oh, we haven't really met have we? My name is Tsunami, and I already know who you are Kakashi-san," she gave a slight bow.

Kakashi gave his own slightly awkward bow in return, "Well Tsunami-san, you wouldn't happen to have something to help me walk would you? My leg isn't fully healed it seems".

Tsunami nodded, "Of course," and then went to a nearby closet, and pulled out a pair of crudely made, but sturdy-looking crutches.

He thanked her for them and used them to pick himself up. After he was balanced he inspected them, "These are well-made. Not professional looking, but they do the job. Who made them?"

Tsunami smiled as she answered, "You can thank Peter-kun for that. Ever since father found him he had been such a big help. He even made the stretcher those two boys of yours brought you in with".

Kakashi just nodded silently, adding another point on his list of mysteries surrounding the boy known as Peter Parker.

 **Line Break**

The dining room was tense; it had been for the past day. Part of it was the fact that Kakashi had been lying in bed the whole time. The other part though, was the revelation that Peter had special abilities. Team 7 (mainly Naruto) had pestered Peter, trying to coax information out of him, Peter refused, stating that he would rather wait until Kakashi was conscious to avoid having to repeat himself. Inari on the other hand, was glaring at Peter. If Peter had to guess, it was due to the fact that Inari-still very much a child despite recent events-believed that Peter could have solved all of the village's problems with a flick of the wrist, and chose not to for selfish reasons (Peter would address that point in the inevitable "gut-spilling" following Kakashi's return to consciousness). The adults in the room, Tazuna and Tsunami, had been silent on the topic, Tsunami, due to trusting that Peter had a good reason for keeping silent of what he could do, while Tazuna already knew about Peter's powers and had kept out of it since he decided it wasn't his business to pry.

The doors leading to where Kakashi was resting opened, and everyone turned to see Kakashi, followed by Tsunami, exit and head towards the table. Naruto gained a huge smile at seeing his sensei alive and well, and would have run up to him, but Sasuke and Sakura held him down in his seat.

Kakashi had managed to sit down, and was drinking some tea Tsunami set on his table, after taking a sip, he spoke, "Team 7, status report. What happened while I was unconscious?"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were a little nonplussed at the question, but Sakura responded, "Well…After you fell unconscious, Peter-san made a stretcher for you with his…um…" She titled her head, trying to remember the word Peter used.

"It's called webbing".

Sakura nodded in thanks to Peter, "Right, that. And when that was done he told Naruto and Sasuke-kun to start moving you here while the rest of us moved on ahead and cleared some space for you".

Kakashi, who had finished his tea, then asked, "How did you get ahead of Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura blushed a bit and looked at the table, "He, uh, picked me and Tazuna-san up in his arms and…jumped through the trees," Kakashi merely raised an eyebrow. Sakura shook her head in an attempt to clear to red off of her face, "Anyway, after we arrived, Tsunami-san helped us clear out a spare room for you sensei, and Peter-san went out to make sure that Naruto and Sasuke-kun weren't lost-"

"And we weren't teme!"

"Shut it dobe".

"Boys!" Kakashi's stern tone, and stare, stopped the argument in its tracks, "Unless you have something substantial to add, stay quiet," silence reigned, "…All right," he motioned for Sakura to continue.

"Well, after you got here and were placed in a bed, we," she motioned to her and her team, "each took rotating three hour shifts keeping watch. I was just about to go out when you woke up".

Kakashi nodded his head, "Good, you did exactly what you should have. Excellent work you three," the children in question beamed at the praise (Sasuke gave a low grunt, but there were traces of a smile). Kakashi then turned his attention to the other adolescent in the room, "Now…what about you?"

Everyone turned to look at Peter, who winced and rubbed his head, "Damn. I was kinda hoping you would forget about little old me".

Kakashi smiled, "A foolish hope," Peter just nodded his head.

" _Okay Parker,"_ Peter began to psych himself up _"You can do this, you went over everything with MW last night, you got this_ ". He took a deep breath, "What do you want to know?"

Kakashi answered, "You're abilities and clan would be nice".

Peter laughed, "Well, I can do a lot of things. I can jump high, obviously. I have to ability to make organic webbing, like a spider can, from my wrists. It's really strong too. I have increased strength," Peter lifted the table for emphasis, much to everyone's shock, "and…Oh yeah!" Peter then walked towards, then on, the wall behind him. Everyone followed him until he stopped above his seat, then flipped to the ground, sitting down once more, "that".

Kakashi had to take a moment to collect himself. This…kid had a myriad of abilities. Most ninja would kill for just one, much less all of them. _"As well as any others he is unwilling to share"_. "And where did you get these…abilities of yours? Your parents?"

Peter shook his head, "No. I got them from a mystical spider god that watches over this and all worlds it can get its legs on".

Everyone leveled Peter an incredulous stare. Kakashi chose to accept the answer and move on, "And what of your clan? Where are you from?"

Peter took a deep, shuddering breath, "I come from the…East? Yeah the east. And…a while back, my…clan…got roped into a war," everyone leaned forward at that little tidbit, "I…can't really say I know the entire reason why it happened, but our enemies, they hated us, wanted us wiped from existence," Everyone started to frown, and Sasuke felt that this was going to hit a little close to home, "We, we fought, long and hard. We eventually 'won', but…a lot of us died. So many…I…I'm pretty sure I'm the only one left, in this world at least," Peter was shaking, not looking anyone in the eyes. Tazuna and Kakashi both had heavy frowns after hearing the tale, Naruto as well. Sakura, Tsunami, and (despite himself) Inari all had tears in their eyes, and Sasuke was deep in thought, thinking of their similar, if slightly different, situations.

Kakashi was the first to break the pregnant silence, "What…was your clan's name? Parker?"

Peter gave a small chuckle, "Oh, no. We were more of a rag-tag bunch of misfits than a single family. All 'blessed' by that crazy Weaver in the sky. Brought together by the sheer absurdity of our lives. We, well, make that me and some of the more fun members, called ourselves, 'the Spider Clan'. We were even trying to come up with our own theme song," Peter started to hum a tune, but it was sad, and a little hollow.

Tsunami and Sakura were full on crying at that point, Sakura putting her head on Sauske's shoulder for support, while the boy in question just patted her shoulder awkwardly (Naruto either didn't notice, or realized the mood was too somber to act jealous at the gesture since he too had a gloomy expression on his face). Tazuna was patting little Inari on the head, who was trying to stem his own tears. Kakashi could only gaze at the teacup in front of him, _"Damn it Kiri,"_ he thought.

Peter kept his head down, but still heard three distinct sobs; _"…I might have laid that on a little thick"_.

" _Perhaps,"_ Madame Web responded, _"But it seems to have gotten the job done regardless"._

" _Yeah, yeah,"_ Peter mentally waved her off, _"…I'm still mad at you, you know"_.

Madame Web rolled her eyes, _"Oh for the- I have already apologized for my transgression"_.

" _Doesn't change the fact that you looked into the man's mind without his consent"_.

Madame Web huffed in annoyance, _"And yet, if I hadn't, I would not have been able to discern that Kirigakure has had a recent history of eradicating those with 'bloodlines', and then where would we be?"_ She cut Peter off before he could say anything, _"Oh! I know, floundering for some half-assed excuse before you were killed on the spot to stem the madness flowing from your mouth,"_ Never let it be said that Madame Web did not have an acerbic tongue when needed.

Peter was about to retort, but stopped when he realized she had a point. He just glowered (in his mind of course) while Madame Web gained a smug smile. Peter decided to return his attention to the situation at hand. He cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, "Can, uh, we move on to how we're going to keep Gato from ruining our plan to help this town?"

Kakashi cleared his own throat, and nodded in response, "Agreed. Though I must ask, why have you not tried to do something about it yourself? I mean you are…" Kakashi tried to think of a correct descriptor, "versatile, powerful if you're ability to take on a half-a-dozen water clones is any indication, and-"

"Not stupid," Peter finished for him. Kakashi rose an eyebrow at the interruption, but stayed silent, "I know my limits," Peter began, "I know that I could probably take on most if not all of Gato's thugs without so much as a scratch". Though the others all grew incredulous and disbelieving of the statement, Kakashi sensed no arrogance or overconfidence from Peter's voice, only determination and certainty, "What I do not know, however, is whether or not Gato had hired any psychotic ninja that were hiding until needed. It's the reason I suggested to Tazuna-san that we lie to you guys in the first place".

Naruto tilted his head at that, "Wait, what does that mean?"

Sasuke answered him, a hint of anger in his voice, "It means, that he meant to use us as bait and fodder just in case things went wrong". Naruto's (and Sakura's) eyes widened before they leveled small glares at Peter, who held up his hands in front of him.

"In my defense," he tried to placate them, "I wasn't expecting a bunch of kids to answer the call," that earned an indignant "HEY!" from Naruto, who took offense to the kid comment.

"And what would you have done," Kakashi chose to ignore Naruto's outburst, "If it were an adult team that answered?"

"Well, assuming that you weren't attacked on the road, thereby subverting the plan, I would have come in and suggested that they stay in Tazuna's place for the night, or two if I were lucky enough to convince them. Of course, I would have taken the 'scenic route', showing them exactly what the village looks like since Gato had taken over".

"And what if they were unsympathetic?" Kakshi queried, unperturbed by Peter's apparent willingness to trained ninja.

Peter responded, "Money of course. I would mention that Gato had stockpiled a large sum of cash and valuables over the course of his career, which would certainly go to those that helped free the town".

Kakashi had one final question, "And what if they were not greedy?"

"Glory then," Peter countered. Kakashi asked for an explanation, "Well, its not secret that those three," he gestured to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, "are relatively new at their job; therefore, its safe to say that guard duty is something reserved for the lower ranks in ninja society". Kakashi nodded and motioned for him to continue, "Since whoever picked up the job would be of lower rank, taking down a major crime boss would be a great way to improve your record in the eyes of your superiors," Peter then shrugged and looked at his fingernails, "Or so I've heard anyway".

Though his three students and Tazuna's family (even Tazuna himself, who actually knew of the plan) were left reeling at the subterfuge needed for the plan to succeed, Kakashi was able to appreciate the level of thought and manipulation Peter had/was willing to put in his gambit. He then clapped his hands, "Right!" Everyone turned to him, "Since I seem to be infirmed for at least the next three days, I see our only course of action is to ensure Tazuna's continued protection". He team members all gained determined looks on their faces, "That being said, I feel the need to tell you that Zabuza is most likely still alive," the blunt statement quickly turned those determined looks into ones of fear, shock, and worry.

Naruto then said, "Bu-but wait a minute! That hunter guy! He killed Tazuna, we saw that!"

Kakashi gave a sigh, "I wish that were the case Naruto-kun, but sadly, no. I had hoped so too, but now that I have had time to think on it I can say with almost 100% certainty that Zabuza and the hunter-nin are partners".

"What makes you say that sensei?" Sakura asked.

"The needles that were used to subdue Zabuza for one. I can think of multiple different weapons that would have done the job just as well with a lot less precision. Needles are also commonly used in acupuncture, and can even stop a person's heart for a short amount of time if placed correctly". Sakura gulped. "Then there is the fact that Zabuza's body was taken away. I can understand wanting the sword, it is a valuable artifact for Kirigakure, but Zabuza's head alone would have been ample evidence of death. So yes, odds are Zabuza is still alive, preparing for our next confrontation".

Naruto then stood up, "Well what are we waiting for! We gotta go stop him!" Naruto headed for the door, but felt something snag his clothes. It was Peter, who had shot out a strand of webbing to Naruto's back, and yanked him back.

"Calm down there buddy," Peter said, "Zabuza isn't waiting right out the front door. The man was sent crashing into a tree and had various metal objects shoved into his body. I doubt he is going anywhere for a while".

Kakashi nodded in affirmation to Peter's statement, "Yes, I suspect it will take at least five days for Zabuza to be up to fighting strength. In the meantime, on top of protecting Tazuna, you guys will be training to fight of any accomplices Zabuza may bring".

Naruto, who grumbled at the rude yanking, had stars in his eyes at the thought of training for such a big fight, "All right!" he shouted, "What are we going to learn Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi gave a light, (and sinister?) chuckle, "Well, my eager pupil, you are going to be learning…how to climb a tree," Kakashi smiled as he finished his sentence.

Naruto's jaw dropped, and Sakura and Sasuke were staring at their mentor as if he had grown a second head. Peter just facepalmed "We're screwed".

 **A/N: And done. Can anyone take a guess as to how Peter "made-up" his backstory? Hehe. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

And I'm treeeeee, I'm treeeeee climbing!

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter had decided to follow Kakashi and his students to see exactly how climbing trees would help three rookies become powerful enough to not die during their next encounter with Zabuza. _"Maybe it's a type of metaphor?"_

" _Or,"_ Madame Web replied in his head, _"It could be exactly what it sounds like"_.

" _I doubt that"._

" _Why? Climbing trees is a good way to build endurance, and depending on what type of trees Kakashi chooses, it could help one discern whether or not something is sound enough to support their weight"._

" _Yeah sure,"_ Peter frowned, _"I just feel that teaching them how to fight, or at the very least how to dodge, is more critical"_.

" _Well, we shall just have to wait and see what Kakashi has planned before we can make any concrete judgments,"_ Peter conceded and carried on.

Soon, they arrived in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Kakashi then turned, leaning on his crutches, and asked his students a simple question, "What is chakra?"

" _The byproduct of magical fruit that spread with the procreation of a crazy rabbit and her kids,"_ Peter snarked in his mind, Madame Web chuckling along with him. Sakura actually voiced an answer; going into a lot more technical details than was probably needed.

Kakashi nodded, "Very good Sakura. Now, as you know, as ninja we use chakra for a great many things. One of which, is this. Watch closely," As he said that, Kakashi lifted his foot up to a nearby tree, stuck it on, and then followed suite with his other foot, and climbed up a few steps, sticking to the tree from his feet.

Peter was indignant, _"Oh come on! I got enough people horning in on my spider shtick back home. Now I find out that people can do it here to!"_

Naruto stared at his teacher before looking at Peter, "Hey!" he shouted, pointing at the brunette "That's just like you!"

Peter was quick to respond, "No its not". Kakashi, who had gotten off the tree, motioned for him to continue, "I don't know what that is, but I don't do that".

Kakashi tilted his head in thought, "Well, how is what you do any different".

Peter cupped a hand to his chin, "How easy is it to fall off when you stick to things?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, "…If you don't concentrate, fairly easy. Actually, its easy regardless".

"Show me".

Kakashi nodded, and motioned for Sasuke to come forward. He stuck his good foot to the tree, and told Sasuke to remove his foot. Sasuke was able to do so with, a little trouble.

Peter nodded, "My turn". He stuck his foot on a tree, and called for Naruto to remove it. Naruto went over and shoved Peter's leg, but it wouldn't budge. He then grabbed onto his leg with both arms and heaved, but it remained still. He tried for several minutes to remove the foot from the tree, but he was still unsuccessful.

Naruto grew frustrated before yelling at Peter, "You must be cheating!" Peter rolled his eyes before he removed all but his toes from the tree. With a cry Naruto shoved forward with all his might…Peter still hadn't moved. Naruto gave up, grumbling under his breath.

"As you can see," Peter explained, "Whatever part of my body is stuck to something stays stuck. Usually, without me having to think about it. And I can guarantee that I do not use any sort of magic ninja juice to do it". Kakashi still doubted that there was no chakra involved in the process however, but since there were no Hyuuga lying around, whose Byakugan could see Peter's chakra flow, he let the matter go.

"Anyway," he brought his students' attention back to him, "You three will learn how to mold the chakra under your feet in order to stick to stick one of these trees, and climb as high as you can". He then took out three kunai, which he gave to his students, "When you feel you are about to fall off, make a mark on the tree. That way you can chart your progress".

Naruto grabbed one of the kunai and turned to a tree, a determined look on his face, "Just watch!" he yelled, "I'll master this in no time, believe it!" With a cry, Naruto rushed his tree. He planted a foot on its trunk, and lifted the other foot, running up a few steps, but fell on his head with a loud thud.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde's display, and then ran to his own tree. He climbed higher than Naruto, but he soon shot backwards off of the tree, splintering the wood. He managed to right himself before he fell to the ground though. Kakashi chuckled at the boy's attempts, "Well," he commented dryly, "you two certainly know what you're doing". His students gave him dirty looks. "Sakura, how are you-" his words were cut short however, as he saw her sitting on a branch, high on her tree. "…You actually climbed it?"

Sakura nodded with a smile, "It was easy sensei".

"I can attest to that," Peter called out.

Naruto gazed up in awe at Sakura, and began to praise her. She ignored him however, in favor of looking to Sasuke. Said boy just grunted, "whatever," and looked away. Sakura's head dropped as she silently groaned disappointment over her failure to impress her crush.

Kakashi nodded absentmindedly, but inside some gears were turning, _"Okay, so Sakura has some incredible chakra control, how else would she get the exercise down on her first try. Naruto didn't even stick to the tree, so he needs to learn how to mold his chakra better. Sasuke managed to climb a few feet, but sent himself flying, so he can mold the chakra, he just can't control the amount needed"._ After a few more minutes of silence he spoke, "Sakura, I want you to continue climbing up and down the tree until you get tired. Try and climb a higher each run, when you start to feel too tired head back to Tazuna's house. Since the boys probably won't be done until at least this evening, you will need to keep Tazuna safe" Sakura nodded, and began to run up and down the tree. He then turned to his other students, "Naruto, you need to better mold the chakra under your feet…think of it like the leaf exercises you would do back at the academy, but on a larger scale. Sasuke, you are molding too much chakra, you need to lessen the flow until you can get the perfect amount," he then turned around to lean on a tree, 'muttering' to himself, "They better get this down pat fast, otherwise Sakura will probably end up Hokage, and the Uchiha line will fade into obscurity". Both boys glared at their sensei, before turning to the other, both entering a silent competition as to who would reach the top of their tree, thereby showing mastery of the skill, first. Kakashi smiled at the sight of his successful manipulation.

Peter then spoke up, "Well, since I am not one of your students, I am going to go and…I don't know, probably hunt some rabbits or something". He waved good-bye to the four before jumping away, _"You hear that MW?"_

" _If you are referring to the leaf exercise, then yes, I did. What do you suppose it entails?"_ she asked.

" _If I were a betting man,"_ he broke off a branch filled with leaves, not breaking his stride, _"I'd say it involves using magic ninja juice to stick leaves to your body. Only problem is how I would accomplish that. I wasn't kidding when I said I don't even have to think about sticking to things, or having them stick on me"_.

Madame Web hummed in thought, _"Perhaps, I could 'turn off' the part of your brain that allows you to adhere to surfaces, and then you could focus on using your chakra to stick the leaves to your body. As you get better, I will 'turn on' that part of you brain again, and then you will train on seamlessly switching between the two. Eventually, you will move on to the tree climbing"_.

Peter landed in a clearing, already picking off some leaves for practice, "Sounds like a plan".

 **Line Break**

Peter had returned to Tazuna's house a few hours ago, some rabbits and fish in hand (since he knew the house wasn't stocked up enough to feed eight people). He had made some progress with the leaf exercise; he managed to stick one to his forehead for 5 minutes straight, but stopped as he felt himself begin to tire. All in all though, for someone with practically no experience concerning chakra, he did a pretty good job.

Currently, everyone was sitting at the dinner table. Tsunami had made a lot of food, in order to ensure everyone had a sufficient meal and to show her appreciation to the ninja keeping her father safe. Peter was eager for a good meal, but felt a little sick at the sight of Naruto and Sasuke devouring everything in sight. He supposed they needed the energy; after all, they were pretty banged up from all that…tree climbing.

The two boys had finished their bowls around the same time, and both raised their bowls high into the air, "I want more!" they called out. Then they glared at the other before turning green and emptying their stomachs on the floor.

Sakura slammed her hands on the table, "Listen you two!" she shouted, "You can't just eat as fast as you want, you'll get sick!"

Sasuke just wiped his mouth, "I have to eat, to regain my strength".

Naruto replied, "And I have to eat more than him. To get stronger!"

Peter gave the pair an odd look, "Well throwing up won't help matters any," he muttered. Kakashi nodded, and told the boys that puking up their meal would only serve to damage their growth.

After the meal (with Sakura ensuring the boys did not throw up again) everyone was drinking tea, save for Tsunami, who was washing the dishes. Sakura was walking around, and something odd caught her attention. Hanging on a wall was a picture. In the picture, Tsunami, Tazuna, and Inari were all smiling. There was another person in the photo too, a man, but his face was torn off from the photo, and couldn't be identified. She then asked, "Who's this guy, and why is his face ripped off from the picture?"

Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, and Peter all stiffened at the query. Tsunami then sighed before answering, "That's my husband…Kaiza".

Tazuna let out his own sigh, "…They used to call him a hero around here…". Inari grunted before jumping off his seat and running for the door heading upstairs.

His mother called out to him, "Inari, wait!". She ran to the door, giving her father a hard look before she went up, "Father! You know better than to say those things around Inari!" She shut the door with a bang behind her.

Everyone flinched at the noise, but Peter then stood up, "I'm going to make sure everything's okay with those two," he then looked to Tazuna, "you better explain," Tazuna nodded as Peter went up through the door.

 **Line Break**

He found Tsunami knocking on the door to Inari's room, eyes tearing up as she asked him to open the door. Using his enhanced spider-sense Peter could feel that Inari was huddled in a corner, most likely crying. He also took notice of the open window in his room. He then went up to Tsunami, "You should go calm down. I'll try and get through to him". Tsunami stopped knocking on the door and looked at Peter. She then gave him a watery smile and a hug before going to her room. Peter gave a soft smile in return, before frowning, thinking on the best way to help Inari out.

 **Line Break**

Inari was currently next to his bead, clutching an intact version of the photo hanging in the dining room, bawling his eyes out. "You know" a voice snapped him out of his funk, "Locking yourself in your room and ignoring your mother is not a good way to deal with grief". Inari looked up to see Peter crouching on the windowsill. Inari glared at Peter, still angry that he never tried to help the village out, what with his powers and skill.

Peter sighed, and entered the room, "I get it. Really I do. You're mad since I didn't try do something about this whole Gato thing". Inari had stopped crying, but was now glaring at Peter, who held out his hands defensively, "But as I already said, if I just went in all gung-ho and punch happy, things would probably end up worse than before. After all, that Zabuza guy was hanging around, who knows if Gato has anyone else in that base of his". Inari could understand the logic (not that he didn't want to) but nonetheless glared at Peter. Peter just clicked his tongue and sat down next to Inari, who turned away, "Still, though, things could be a lot worse".

Inari gave an angry snort, "Oh yeah? How?"

"…You're mother could be dead too," Peter somberly replied. Inari stiffened a bit, but didn't respond. Peter continued, "I was a little younger than you, when my parents died. I," he paused, "I remember feeling crushed when I got the news, absolutely devastated". Peter turned to look at Inari, a soft smile on his face "My parents died for what they believed was right too, standing up to oppression". Inari turned slightly, and saw a wistful look in Peter's eyes, "I remember, not wanting to leave my room for months. I didn't want to eat, didn't want to go outside. I was a mess". Peter was silent then, basking in the memories, good and bad. Inari had now turned completely around, looking directly at Peter. "You know," Inari jumped as Peter suddenly spoke, "I remember something my uncle told me that helped me through the grief, something I'll tell you. He said 'Peter, I know that you're sad right now, and that's okay, you have the right to be sad. Heck, I'd be worried if you weren't. But, you can't just stay sad. Your folks wouldn't want that. They were good people, and always wanted what was best for you.'," Peter was now looking right at Inari, "'Staying like this, and not moving forward…that isn't what they would want. If they could, they would tell you stop those tears and think of the good times, the laughs, the smiles, the dreams. Remember the good they did, and use that to push yourself forward, honoring their memory.'" Peter finished, giving Inari a warm smile. Inari eyes started to glaze a bit, before he crashed into Peter's chest, letting his tears flow. Peter then handed Inari a nearby tissue, "…Kaiza wouldn't want you to just cry about would he?" Inari looked down, still crying, before shaking his head no. "No," Peter gently agreed, "he wouldn't…But right now, you can cry. Just let it all out".

Inari was sobbing now, Peter gently patting his back. Inari then said, "I ***** **sob** ***** I miss him, so ***** **sob** ***** much".

Peter rubbed the boys back, "I know you do…but you know who else does?" Inari shook his head, "You're mother," Peter lightly stated, "She's going through the same pain you're feeling now, on top of the worry she feels for you over Kaiza's death," Inari was beginning to feel a little guilty, thinking that he made his mother feel worse.

Peter heaved a great sigh, and held Inari by his shoulders, "Inari, listen to me. This village is going to get better. That bridge is going to get fixed, and Gato is going to get run out of the town with his tail hiding between his legs, I promise you that". Peter's voice held a conviction that Inari had only heard in one other man, his father. Inari just nodded to Peter, wiping the tears off of his face, a small, almost invisible smile in place. "Now, why don't you go and see how your mother is doing, huh?" Inari looked down before nodding, heading out his room to his mother's.

Peter stood up with a sigh, and looked out to the moon hanging overhead. _"Hey MW"_.

" _Yes Peter?"_

"… _I am going to personally kick Gato's butt, right into the river"_.

Madame Web gave a chuckle, _"I wasn't expecting anything less"._

 **A/N: And done. I hope I did Uncle Ben's speech some justice, as well as handling the whole grief thing. I myself have never experienced a major loss, so I hope I wrote Peter and Inari's conversation well. And now for something completely out of left field, what gender do you guy's think Haku is? Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

No Sell

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter was antsy when he woke up. His conversation with Inari the other night had worked him up a bit, and now he was more anxious than ever to get the bridge fixed.

After washing up he headed down to the kitchen where he saw Tsunami getting breakfast ready. She heard him, and turned towards him, a smile on her face. She then went to give him a hug. "Thank you," she said to a bewildered Peter, "I don't know what you said to Inari last night, but it seemed to help him out a lot". Peter just smiled and gave her a quick hug in return before going to sit down.

Soon, Tazuna, Inari, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke came down to eat. Naruto, Peter noticed, was missing, and asked where he was. Kakashi was unaware of what would cause Naruto to miss breakfast as well. "Oh!" he said after a moment, "He probably went out for some extra training and fell asleep before he could return".

Peter hung his head with a sigh, and got up from the table. Sakura asked him, "Where are you going?"

He replied, "To go and find Naruto of course. In case you guys forgot, there is at least one guy out for our heads, and if Naruto really is asleep, he's a sitting duck". He then wave goodbye as he opened the door, "I'll be back after I find him".

Sasuke moved to go search as well, but Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, "Not so fast mister. You need to eat, regain the energy you spent yesterday". Sasuke grunted, begrudgingly sat down, and began eating breakfast.

 **Line Break**

Peter was swinging through the forest when he felt a ping in his upgraded spider-sense. He focused and could see Naruto, and someone else, a few hundred feet away, sitting down in a clearing, " _There are a lot of clearings in this forest"_. The person, for he was unable to tell definitive genders from long distances with the sense, felt familiar. As he ran closer Peter realized that this was the same person that collected Zabuza's 'corpse'. _"Well, now we know for sure that Zabuza is still alive"_.

" _Indeed"_ the voice of Madame Web hummed in his mind, " _Now the question is, what do we do? Inform Naruto and his team? Capture…him ourselves?"_

" _Well for now-wait, why'd you call her 'him'?"_ Peter asked.

" _Because he is a 'him'"._

Peter was nonplussed, _"Why would you say that? I mean c'mon, did you hear her voice? And I'm pretty those clothes are kimonos"._

" _Perhaps,"_ Madame Web conceded, _"But, I can assure you, that this person is in fact male"._

Peter stopped moving, _"…You read his mind didn't you? Dammit Cassandra, we just talked about this!"_

Cassandra was aghast at the accusation, _"Peter Parker! Would lie to you?"_ Silence reigned. _"…Okay, I'll admit that was dumb of me to ask"._

" _You think?"_ was Peter's sarcastic reply.

" _Regardless, I swear I did not look into his mind. I could just…tell"_.

" _Pray tell how"._

" _You meet a lot of people when you offer up your services as a psychic. You learn things, notice features and such you might have ignored before. In fact-"_

" _That's fine, I don't need any examples"_ Peter interrupted her, _"…Sorry, for just attacking you like that,"_ Peter said.

" _It is fine,"_ Cassandra waved off his apology, _"But just know, while I am may be…liberal…with my powers, I would never use them for something as insignificant as figuring out a person's gender"._ Peter just shrugged, accepting her response.

He then made it to the clearing, catching Naruto, and Zabuza's unnamed accomplice's attention, "Hey Naruto! I've been looking all over for you, you gave us a bit of a scare when we woke up and you weren't at Tazuna's place".

Naruto and the unnamed person both had different responses. Naruto gave a sheepish grin and started to scratch the back of his head, "Oh. Sorry about that Peter, I was just training".

The stranger on the other hand, his eyes widened, slightly, at Peter's entrance, and Peter's spider-sense began to buzz louder as the guy had evidently decided he was a threat. Peter just smiled, a forced one (not that Naruto noticed) and asked, "And who are you?"

The effeminate man gave an equally deceptive smile, "My name is Haku. I was out picking some herbs to help heal my friend when I found this one," he pointed to Naruto, "passed out. I was going to see if he was okay when he woke up. We've just been talking for the past few minuets".

Peter eyed the basket Haku was carrying his herbs in. He clicked his tongue, "That's a lot of herbs. Your friend must be in quite a pickle to need all that. What, was he thrown across the forest?"

" _Peter, what are you doing?"_ Cassandra asked, worried where he was trying to take the conversation.

" _Just trust me okay"._

Haku's eyes hardened, "Most would consider it rude to mock another's injuries". Naruto noticed Haku's mood shift, but attributed it to Peter's comment.

"Hey!" he yelled to Peter, "Don't be a jerk to her friend!"

Peter just held his hands in defeat, "Okay! I'll admit, that was a dick move," he gave Haku his full attention, "I am so sorry for mocking your friend. Whoever this person is, I am sure they in no way deserved whatever happened to them". Naruto was unable to detect the sarcasm in Peter's voice, and accepted the apology as sincere. But Haku noticed, and clenched his kimono with his fist.

" _Calm down Haku,"_ he told himself, giving Peter, in all his smug glory, a steely eyed stare, _"This guy is just trying to rile you up. If you let him get to you, then you'll most likely get captured, and then Zabuza…"_ Haku gave a long sigh before standing up and dusting off his kimono. He then bowed to Peter, but did not take his eyes off of him; "I thank you for your…kind…words". He then started to walk off, but turned to look at Naruto, his voice softer than when he talked to Peter, "I do hope you find them someday Naruto, a precious person to protect".

Naruto gave a wide smile and waved, "I do too. Thanks Haku!"

Haku gave a warm smile and a nod. He walked a few feet, then stopped, "By the way, Naruto," Naruto, who was (not that he would admit it) staring at Haku's… lower back, cocked a brow, "I'm a boy", with a mischievous grin, Haku continued on his way.

Peter snickered as Naruto's jaw dropped. They heard a thud behind them and saw Sasuke on the floor, some leaves in his hair. He got up with a massive blush on his face, though whether this was because he fell from a tree or because he himself was staring at Haku was beyond Peter and Naruto. Not that Peter cared, since he started to guffaw. After calming down, Peter caught the two embarrassed boys' attention, "All right you two perverts, let's get back to the house". Neither boy could find it in themselves to try and argue against Peter's words, so they settled to follow in awkward silence. Cassandra then spoke in Peter's head, _"Shouldn't you inform them that the man is Zabuza's accomplice?"_

" _No, for a couple reasons. First and foremost, these two will probably try and bum rush the guy, and that would lead to a whole slew of problems. Second,"_ Peter turned to Naruto, who still in shock over Haku's dramatic piece of evidence, _"Naruto seemed to really hit it off with him, and I know what it can be like to fight someone you consider a friend,"_ Peter gave an internal sigh at the thought of his own "friends", such as Curt Connors and Harry Osborn, _"It'll be better if, for the time being, the kid stays ignorant"_. Cassandra stayed silent on the matter after that, trusting Peter's judgment.

 **Line Break**

Peter was currently looking out on the lake from the roof. Yesterday, Naruto and Sasuke had worked themselves to the bone perfecting their… tree climbing technique. Right now Naruto was the only one still asleep, as Kakashi opted to let Naruto get some more rest, as between him and Sasuke, Naruto was the worse for wear. Peter then stiffened as his spider-sense went haywire. _"Woah! Haven't felt this much danger in awhile. Let's see…one…two…four? Yeah, four people"._ Peter let his spider-sense guide him to try and figure out exactly where the other threats were. _"…Two are heading to the house, and the other two are…hiding in the trees…I need to wake Naruto"_. Peter then crawled down the roof to Naruto's room, and opened the window to find the snoring rookie genin. Peter shook him awake, and then clamped the boys mouth shut when he began to speak, "Listen, there are some guys headed this way, probably to try and hurt Tsunami and Inari," Naruto's eyes widened, "We need to stop the-SHIT!" Peter ran to the window, sensing that the two thugs heading towards the house got there faster than expected. He ran to the window to see one of them drag Tsunami outside. He turned to Naruto, and saw that the blonde had managed to (very quickly) change out of his pajamas. With a nod Peter led the boy out the window, intent on protecting the two civilians.

 **Line Break**

Zori and Waraji were having a grand time, though Gato paid well, the duo found it boring to stay by the man's side 24/7. As such, when Gato told them to go and harass Tazuna's remaining family, they were ecstatic as the opportunity to cause some terror. Zori had his sword held up to the woman's throat, and her kid was shaking like a leaf. Waraji gave a cruel laugh as he stared at the boy, "Hey Zori, think it will matter to anyone if I kill the brat?"

Inari and Tsunami both stiffened at his words, and Zori gave a bark of laughter in turn, "By all means". Waraji grew a nasty smile on his face and began to stalk towards Inari. He stopped however, as he heard Tsunami behind him.

"If you dare touch my son I will kill myself right here and now!" Tsunami had brought her neck close to Zori's sword, a thin layer of blood forming where the sharp metal met her soft flesh.

Zori and Waraji stared hard at the woman, before Zori shrugged, "Fine. We only need one hostage anyway". He then pulled his sword away, and started to pull Tsunami by the hair, away from the house. Tsunami struggled with all her might, but couldn't break free.

Inari was still frozen in shock, but the sight of his mother being taken away by such evil men stirred something deep inside him. He then remembered the various conversations he had with Kaiza, and the one he had a couple nights ago with Peter, and steeled his nerves. He ran towards the two men, yelling with all his might, "Leave my mother alone!"

Zori and Waraji turned around and saw Inari charge them. Waraji just laughed and knocked him down, "HAHA! What do you think you are kid? Some kind of hero?"

"Maybe he isn't," a young voice answered from the sky. Waraji looked to up, sword drawn, but was sent crashing to the ground by a pair of feet, Peter back flipped off the unconscious man, "Me on the other hand…"

Zori had let go of Tsunami and tried to rush Peter, but was dog piled by Naruto and three of his clones. "Not so fast!" they yelled in unison. One of them slammed the man's face to the ground, knocking him out cold. Naruto then went to tie them both up while Peter checked on Inari and Tsunami.

Tsunami and Inari gave their thanks to Peter, and Naruto, for saving them. "Okay, listen to me," Peter began, "You guys need to head to town, lay low for a bit. Things are going to get a little hectic, and Tazuna, and me for that matter, need you to be safe". They both nodded and gave Peter quick hugs before running towards the village. Peter then turned to Naruto, who had finished tying up the two crooks, "You should head over to the bridge. If Gato sent these two here, then that probably means Zabuza is on the attack".

Naruto's eyes widened and he started to run, but stopped and look back at Peter, "What about you?" he asked.

Peter waved him off, "Don't worry about me, I got some things I need to do first. I'll catch up, I promise". Naruto nodded, and began to leap through the trees towards the bridge. Peter then turned to the forest, and yelled out, "Whoever you two are, you can come out now". No one answered. Peter rolled his eyes before picking up a rock and hurling it to the tree line. Suddenly, a figure, a man, jumped out from the foliage and caught the rock, landing a few yards in front of Peter, a second one, a woman, quickly landed next to him. The dark haired man was wearing a dark blue vest and a pair of green pants. The woman, a brunette whose hair stopped at her breasts, next to him wore a dull gray shirt with some dark purple pants. The woman wore a headband with a crescent moon on it, but it had a large scratch on it. The man had no such adornment. Peter glared at the pair.

The man scoffed, "Betcha think you're scary huh kid? I'll admit, that glare is mildly impressive".

The woman shifted her eyes to the man, "Watch it Maboroshi, this is looks like the kid that handed six of Zabuza's clones their watery asses".

Maboroshi snorted, "Yeah right. If anything Akane, Zabuza is too weak to handle a bunch of brats. Hopefully, he will at least get my blood pumping before we cut him down". Akane gave a cruel grin at that.

Peter grew confused, but then understood who the two people in front of him were, "You are a couple of hitmen Gato hired to off Zabuza once his job is done. Makes sense I guess, the guy can't be cheap. Begs the question, why would you accept, what I can only assume to be, less money?"

Akane gave an ugly grin, "If there's one thing that'll get you anywhere in this world, its reputation".

Maboroshi's eyes shone with a mad glint, "Our names will go down in history when we take the bastard, plus the infamous Kakashi Hatake, down".

All three were silent after that. It was broken when Peter gestured to the pair, "And…What else?" The duo gave Peter quizzical looks, and Peter just sighed disappointedly, "That's it, 'going down in history', that's your big goal? Weak".

The two blinked, but then Akane growled, "What was that?"

Peter put a hand to his face, "It's just, I don't know, you guys seem so…lackluster. I mean come on, your reasons for villainy are archaic and cliché". He gave a long, suffering sigh, "Never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss the crazies back home. At least they had some variety".

Maboroshi was steaming, "Don't mock us you little shit!" he then hurled the stone he caught with all his might, straight at Peter. Unfortunately for him, Peter caught it with little effort.

Peter tilted his head to the side and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Such a dirty mouth you have," he then crushed the stone in his hand, "I'm afraid you're going to have to be put on a time out". He crouched low, as Maboroshi. Akane then put her hands together, and began to weave through multiple signs. Peter cut her short however. With a quick, "nope" Peter shot out a glob of webbing at her hands. Before she knew what hit her, both her hands were stuck together with webbing.

She grunted as she tried to move her hands, "What the-the hell is this?" She then looked up at Peter, then cursed when she saw he had left his previous position.

A voice rang through the treetops, "What you are currently sporting on is a wonderful mixture of various compounds that, quite frankly, would go right over that stringy little head of yours".

Akane was indignant, "STRINGY!"

Maboroshi quickly rebuked her, "Calm down! Brat's just trying to rile you up," as he said that, he launched six shuriken where he thought Peter's voice originated. Peter then leapt out of the tree behind them. Maboroshi smirked and began weaving through his own hand signs while Peter was in the air. Peter shot out another glob of webbing before landing, but Maboroshi managed to dodge it.

Looking him dead in the eyes, Maboroshi smirked, "Try this on for size!" He yelled, completing his signs.

Peter just gave the guy a quizzical look before feeling a tingle all along his body. He looked down to see he was covered in kunai and shuriken, blood seeping out of his body. He stood frozen in place at the shock of it all. Maboroshi smiled triumphantly as he pulled out a kunai and stalked over to Peter. "Figures, no one ever thinks the subtle art of genjutsu amounts to-" he then fell flat on his face, his feet having been stuck to the ground via webbing. He looked up in shock to see Peter, broken out of the illusion, "How?"

Peter scoffed, "Please," he squatted down to Maboroshi, and looked him in the eye, "I've seen much better tricks from a wacko in a green suit, purple cape, and a fishbowl on his head". Before Maboroshi could question what the hell just came out of Peter's mouth, he felt a sharp pressure on his neck, and everything went dark.

Peter stood up and wiped dirt off of his pants, _"Peter…"_ Cassandra intoned.

" _I know, I know"_

 **Line Break**

Akane was booking it through the forest. She gave up getting her hands free, now focused on trying to escape the kid. After seeing how effortlessly he broke through Maboroshi's illusion, his speed, and strength (he had caught and crushed a decent sized rock with little effort), she decided that a tactical retreat was in order. "Now, be honest," a voice drawled to her left. Akane almost fell to the ground when she looked over to see the kid seamlessly bound through the trees, effortlessly keeping pace with her, "how far along did you think this through?" Before she could scream in a mix of frustration and fear, Akane lost her footing and began to plummet to the forest floor. She then felts several…pokes almost, along her body, stopping her fall. She craned her head to see several silk like strands attached to her body, all leading up to the boy, who was crouching over a branch. Akane stared wide-eyed at him, and when the kid noticed her, he simply smiled and pulled on the strands, lifting her body up smoothly. Once she reached eye level with the kid, he waved his hand and sent a quick strike to her neck, knocking her out cold.

 **Line Break**

Peter had dropped to two hitmen off on a boat floating in the river. The boat was anchored of course, and tied to a couple trees for good measure. Not to mention the fact that the two were sleeping like babies, tied up in both his webbing and some rope. _"And yet, I still feel like I could do more"._

" _As fun as that would be,"_ Cassandra spoke up, _"You really should head over to the bridge, from what I could see, they could use your help"_.

" _You got it"_. Peter shot some web lines in the trees, and began to swing through the forest. He then stiffened, and was forced to stop as he felt an immense pressure pounding in his skull. He clutched his head and bit his lip, trying to mitigate the sensation. _"Agh! Cassandra, ooh, what is that?"_

Cassandra gasped in horror, _"Hurry Peter, there is no time to lose. It's Naruto. That…thing his thread is entwined with, I think it is sealed in his body. I think it is trying to escape!"_

Peter clenched his fist and grit his teeth, determined to work through the pain. He shot out two web lines and started to step back, then let go and soared through the air like a bullet, determined to get to the bridge and stop Naruto (or rather, the thing currently inhabiting his body).

 **Line Break**

The pounding was getting worse and worse. To further complicate matters, his body would automatically steer as far away from the bridge as possible, so Peter had to divert his full attention and effectively work against his body to get to the bridge. Another minute passed, and he could see the bridge clearly, as well as feel the immense rage permeating from its center. Then, all of a sudden, it vanished. The great pressure dissipated from Peter's skull, leaving him very confused. He shot a line to a nearby crane to get a better vantage point. Once there, he saw four things of note: Sasuke, lying on the ground, still as a corpse, Naruto and an unmasked Haku just…staring at each other, Sakura and Tazuna, well away from the battle, and the bloody figures of Kakashi and- _"Is he in a literal dog pile?"-_ Zabuza, the latter of whom was indeed surrounded and bitten by dogs of all sizes.

Just then, Kakashi bent down and clasped his right arm with his left. He tensed, and his right hand lit up in a brilliant light. Zabuza was visibly shocked at the sight, but still readied his own sword in response (albeit with difficulty, given that his shoulders had dog jaws clamped on them). Kakashi charged, Peter could only guess that whatever attack Kakashi was using was physical, and fatal, while Zabuza raised his sword high. Peter himself didn't like it when people died, even when it was those that had verbally expressed their desire to kill him, but he had lived long enough to understand that sometimes, death is an unavoidable consequence of battle. He then saw something move in the corner of his eye, and the next thing he knew, Haku was standing in between of Kakashi and Zabuza, arms spread, intending to sacrifice himself to save Zabuza.

Both men's eyes widened when Haku practically materialized in front of them. Kakashi's line of thought entailed, _"Dammit! I'm too close to stop!"_

Zabuza on the other hand, _"Haku? What the hell are you-"_ he then calmed his thoughts, _"No, I can use this,_ " he gave a small frown _"Don't worry Haku, it'll be over quickly. You won't suffer long"_.

Before both men could strike however, they felt something hit their bodies, and before they could react, were pulled, harshly enough too knock loose the dogs clamped on Zabuza, and landed some feet away, with large thuds. Both men groaned as they could feel their ribs crack from the impact. Kakashi's hand lost its glow, and Zabuza's sword sailed past them. Everyone stared wide-eyed at what had just happened, Naruto actually rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining anything. "Phew," everyone craned their heads to the voice, and looked on in surprise to see Peter on a crane, holding on to two thin white ropes attached to the aforementioned men, "That could have been messy" Peter said, as he jumped down, landing next to Sakura and Tazuna, who jumped at his sudden appearance.

Haku sighed in relief and slumped down in exhaustion. Kakashi and Zabuza both tried to get up, but their injuries got the better of them, and neither could go higher then their hands and knees. Naruto was still in shock before he caught sight of Sasuke, and ran towards the boy. Sakura had run up as well, tears in her eyes at the sight of the battered body of her crush. Naruto was shaking his body, yelling at Sasuke to wake up. Sakura put a hand on his shoulder, and shook her head. Naruto cried out in frustration and punched the ground next to him. Sakura then began the slow work of pulling all the needles out of his body, and fell back in shock when Sasuke took a large breath after she removed one from his neck.

Sasuke was and in some pain. He turned his head to see Naruto and Sakura standing over him, tears in their eyes. His eyes widened considerably when Sakura crashed into him, nearly crushing him in a hug. He tried to move, but found that his body wasn't responding, so opted to voice his complaint to Sakura. Said girl grew crimson and released Sasuke, sending him crashing to the ground. He then heard Naruto, to his annoyance, start laughing at his plight; Sasuke gave a long, suffering sigh.

Kakashi smiled at his students exchange, and turned to look at Zabuza when he heard a scoff, "Figures, Haku never could actually bring himself to hurt a brat". To Kakashi's surprise, there was a hint of fondness in the man's tone. Zabuza took note of Kakashi, and leveled a glare at him, but before he could tell the copy-nin off, a harsh laugh interrupted him.

Everyone turned to see Gato, along with what looked like all the men he hired to take over the village, some 20 feet away from them. All the men were wielding some type of weapon, and looked eager to shed some blood. Gato stopped laughing, "Well, well, well," he spread his arms out wide, "Look how the tables have turned Zabuza," he sneered at the prone man, "Ever since I hired you I couldn't wait until I was able to send out the order to gut you, and your little boy-toy," Zabuza bristled, "like a couple of fish". He looked down at Haku, who tried to move, but was overcome with exhaustion, "Whoever brings me somebodies head gets an extra twenty-thirty-aw hell, make it a fifty percent cut". Gato snapped his fingers, and the men all surge forward. Haku braced for the worst, but a glint in the sky caught his attention. Just then, Zabuza's sword sank into the ground, and Peter landed in a crouch on the hilt, head facing the ground. The mob stopped in its track, looking on in trepidation at the figure in front of them.

Peter then lifted his head, a smile on his face, and a hard glint in his eyes, "Boys, fellas, amigos, scum of the earth" he spread his arms wide, "You can certainly try and harm to these fine, and less than fine individuals all for the sake of some petty cash. Or, you can leave, now, and not get beaten up by yours truly".

The men all eyed one another, unsure what to do. They broke out of their stupor when Gato yelled at them, "What are you idiots doing?" Its just one kid!"

Having received the reminder that, yes, the person in front of them was a child, one brave soul rushed towards Peter, his club held high. He got close and swung down on Peter's head, a savage grin on his face. It then morphed into a look of fear when Peter not only caught the blow with one hand, but also proceeded to lift the man clear off the ground. He gazed in panic at Peter's smiling face, "You chose…poorly," with a quick jab, Peter knocked then man out cold, falling to the floor in a heap. With a cry, "Tally-ho!" he leapt forward towards the rest of the mooks.

All in attendance could only star in awe at the speed, grace, and power Peter wielded as he wove in between the mob. To Tazuna, he was a blur of movement. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and even Haku (arguably the most experienced of the four) they could only briefly see Peter when he stopped to dodge a particularly nasty hit, or send a man flying. Kakashi and Zabuza, the veterans, were able to fully follow Peter's movements, and both of them (though Zabuza was loath to admit it) were in awe. The way he moved, they both observed, put most any ninja to shame in terms of agility and flexibility (and though they would not find it out until later, the fact that none of the men were killed, or even injured beyond a couple broken bones or slight concussion, was even more impressive).

The last of Gato's men was sent flying behind said employer, who was quaking in fear. He almost pissed his pants when he noticed that Peter's full attention was now on him. Gato began to back away in fear as Peter walked towards him, "Now hold on a minute," Gato's voice quivered, "I'm s-s-sure we can we can w-work something out. Tell you what, I'll give you 50% of all I own," Peter kept walking, "65," Gato's voice raised in pitch, "80," Gato tripped and fell on hi back, covering his face in fear, "100! I'll give you all of it! Just don't hurt me!" Tears streamed down the man's face, as his terror reached levels he didn't know existed.

Peter looked down at the blubbering mess before him with mild disgust, _"Yeesh, at least when I one-upped the guys back home they had the grace to take it all in stride"_. He then heard something off to his side, and smiled when he saw what it was, "Well buddy, good news and bad news," Gato stopped shaking, "Good news," Peter crouched low and looked Gato square in the eyes, "I'm not going to hurt you," Gato almost laughed in relief. "Bad news," Peter grabbed Gato's head and turned it, "They probably will". Gato's trembling returned with a vengeance at the sight before him. It looked as if every single man, woman, and child in the village had shown up, and they were all staring Gato down. At the front of the mass of people was Inari, armed with a crossbow and wearing a helmet. He smiled and waved when he saw Peter, who smiled and waved in return. Peter felt Gato turn limp in his hands, and saw that the man fainted, foamed in his mouth, and wet his pants. Peter then dropped the ex-crime lord and fervently wiped his hands on his shirt, "Aw come on man! That's just gross".

 **A/N: Good god this was a bitch. Between semester finals and general holiday shenanigans, I haven't had any time to sit down and write. On the plus side, break is entering its stride, so I can put some more focus on my more recreational pursuits (I.E. this). Anyway, next chapter will officially close the Wave Arc, and then we can really dig into the meat of the story. Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Sociopathic monsters that have only one actual redeeming quality are nice people deep, deep down inside, apparently.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

All things considered, Peter was happy. Not only was Gato's criminal empire stamped out, but he also got to relieve a lot of pent up stress in the best way he knew how, beating the crap out of mooks A-Z.

After the thugs ran as far away from the village as possible, construction on the bridge began with a manic fervor, the workers wanting to finish it so that they could finally complete what they had wanted to do for months. Of course, there were some…loose ends that needed tying up.

 **Line Break**

Peter, Kakashi and his squad, Zabuza, Haku, and the two ninja that Gato hired were all sitting in a bar. Kakashi was wondering what to do about the mess he had managed to dive headfirst into.

Peter was the first problem to sort. Since their first meeting Kakashi knew that Peter would be an invaluable asset to Konoha. The largest obstacle would be convincing Peter to come with them to become a ninja. Kakashi lazily drifted an eye to the boy in question, who was sitting by a window, overlooking the jubilant townsfolk. Yes, tearing him away from this place would be a problem.

He then shifted his gaze to the four rouge ninja in his custody. The two Peter took out- _"That boy never ceases to impress"_ \- were largely inconsequential, two people too arrogant for their own good. The bounty on their heads (if anyone bothered to put one up) probably wouldn't be worth much. The other two though, they were problematic.

Zabuza was resting on a table while Haku was tending to his wounds. The man looked uncomfortable, though whether it was due to the chakra suppressing seals on his wrists, the actual healing process, or being tended to in front of people was beyond Kakashi.

His students were all doing their own things as well. Naruto was alternating between boasting over his victory to praising Peter and his skills. Sasuke was leaning against a wall while Sakura tried to initiate conversation. Kakashi smirked as the ever cool headed Uchiha begin to twitch in annoyance, something not unnoticed by one of the prisoners.

"The hell you smirking at?" the male assassin (using the word loosely), spat out, "Betcha think your tough huh?" Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the man. "Well, why don't you take off these restraints and then we-!" He was cut off as a glob of webbing shut the man up.

"Geez guy," Peter sighed, "Read the mood". Kakashi decided that he had spent enough time dawdling and decided to bet to the bare bones of the situation.

"Yes well," he drawled, sitting up straight, "Now that we have all had a chance to rest up," he gave a deceptive eye-smile to the four in front of him, "Let's talk".

Zabuza gently pushed Haku away as he sat up, despite the latter's insistence that he not. Maboroshi and Akane both glared at Kakashi, though Maboroshi's was mitigated by the fact that he kept on moving his jaw, failing to pry the webbing off.

Kakashi turned to the two adults. "…Since I have absolutely no idea who you are, I am really at a loss as to what I should do," the two grew indignant at the nonchalant insult, and Akane would have shouted, were it not for a webshot that flew past her ear, courtesy of Peter. She shut up quick. Kakashi then gave a short sigh, "I suppose there is nothing to do but kill you and hope someone is willing to pay".

The duo's eyes widened in fright, while the children (sans Haku) all blanched. "Uh, mind repeating that," Peter cleaned out his ears, "cause I could have sworn you just said you were going to kill them".

Kakashi nodded, "Well, you did".

Peter clicked his tongue and gave a shallow laugh. He then stood in front of the pair, giving Kakashi a hard stare, "Well, I won't let you". Now everyone was looking at Peter as though he was speaking a completely foreign language.

Zabuza actually started to laugh, "HAHAHAHAHA…wait you're serious?" He then turned to look at Haku, "Are you sure those drugs of yours were safe?" Haku just nodded, "Hmm, well damn," he looked back at Peter, "Then you're just an idiot".

Peter shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not, but I'm not just going to stand by as you kill these two in cold blood," Peter's voice gained an edge that impressed Kakashi, but it was not as impressive as the glint in his eye. Kakashi had seen the look before, mostly in adults, and it spoke of one who would stand by their convictions, regardless of consequences.

He then stood up with a sigh, and walked over to Peter, hands in his pockets. He then stooped over the boy, and cheekily asked, "What do you suggest we do with them then?"

Peter actually had to pause in thought at this, "Well…I know this place doesn't have an appropriate jail to hold crazy ninjas…And I don't trust them enough to just take them out into the woods and say 'leave'…"He snapped his fingers, "We'll put them on a boat". Kakashi gave him a dull stare, "Yeah," Peter continued, "Leave them tied up of course, but we put them on a boat, maybe leave some fresh water and food, and sent them downstream. They are out of our lives, and nobody has to kill anybody".

"And what if they manage to find their way back?" Kakashi asked.

"They won't, come back that is," Peter said confidently.

Kakashi cocked a brow, "Why not?"

"Because this place will soon be under the protection of Konoha" Peter clenched his fist confidently.

The room was silent. It was only broken when Naruto loudly asked, "What?" Kakashi took the cue and asked Peter to elaborate.

"Well its simple really," Peter sat down on a table, "With the bridge complete, the good people of the village will start using the land routes more often than the water routes. More goods will travel along the roads, more opportunities for lowlifes to fill their pockets" Peter gave a knowing look to Kakashi, who started to piece together the boy's logic.

The others (sans Zabuza) hadn't however, and Sakura spoke up, "Wait, I don't get it. How would merchants getting robbed be a good thing?"

Kakashi answered his student, "Because Sakura, with the threat of robbery, merchants looking to trade their goods will hire ninja from the closest village-that's us by the way-to make sure that doesn't happen".

Sakura hummed in understanding, and Sasuke grunted his acknowledgment as well. Naruto still needed help though, "Hold on," he rubbed his head, "I'm still confused".

Sasuke sighed, "By hiring ninja from our village, odds are there will be at least one team around every month or so. If people like those two," he gestured to Akane and Maboroshi, "try and attack, then whoever is there will be able to help out, or a villager could easily send news for help".

"Oh," Naruto smiled, "Now I get it!"

"About time," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Naruto did hear the remark though, and glared at his teammate, who glared back. "Knock it off you two," Kakashi stopped them before the conflict could escalate. He then turned his attention to the two tied up nuisances, "Well, now that that's taken care of," his attention shifted to the ex-swordsman of the mist and his accomplice, "What to do with you…"he trailed off.

Zabuza looked at Kakashi before scoffing and rolling his shoulders, "I'll tell you one thing, I'm not going back to Kirigakure alive, nor will I be moving into Konohagakure. Might as well kill me now, save us all the trouble".

Peter sighed, cursing the fact that killing was the first thing to pop into these guys' minds. Kakashi nodded, "Okay then, what about your partner?"

Zabuza looked down, and Haku gazed worriedly at the man. Zabuza gave a low smirk, "I just picked the brat up one day. Take him back as a prisoner or just send him packing, doesn't matter to me".

Haku frowned at Zabuza's words, as did Naruto; though the two had very different reasons. "Hey!" the blonde screamed, "What's your problem?"

Kakashi moved towards him, "Naruto cal-"

His student ignored him, "You mean everything to him you jerk! He was ready to die for you," Naruto walked up and poked the man in the chest, "YOU! A crazy monster!" Haku tried his hand at calming Naruto, as did Sakura, but their pleas were overlooked, "When he was out getting medicine, he was worried sick! And now you just blow him of-!"

Zabuza shot out a hand and grabbed Naruto's collar. Sasuke drew a shuriken, but Peter put a hand on his shoulder, motioning to let things continue.

"…Brat…" Zabuza looked up from the floor, and Naruto was shocked to see his eyes glazed with unshed tears, "Shut up," the man hissed. He let Naruto go, who almost tripped over a table in surprise. Zabuza looked over to Haku, tears shamelessly rolling down his own face. Zabuza's face softened, and his grasped the boy's shoulder, "…Good-bye Haku". He then stood up, and walked over to Kakashi, "…Let's get this over with".

Kakashi nodded, started walking to the back door, when a voice interrupted him, "Um, yeah," he shifted his attention to Peter, who waved, "Did you not just see what I did to save these two losers," Akane was about to yell at him, but was cut off by a webshot to the mouth, "Do you honestly think I'm going to just stand by and let you execute this guy?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Well, unlike those two, this is really the best option for out friend here. He is a highly infamous ninja from Kirigakure with a high bounty on his head. I can't set him loose. If word got out that a Konoha ninja defeated and then released a missing nin from Kiri, their own black ops unit would relentlessly hound us. He is too dangerous to just dump into the woods and let him be on his merry way. This is the only option".

"But-"

" _Peter,"_ Cassandra interrupted him.

" _What?"_

" _Let them go"._

Peter paused, _"…I'm sorry, I could have sworn you said-"_

" _I did"_.

" _Are you crazy!"_

" _Peter,"_ she repeated more forcefully, _"Trust me, this is the best solution to the scenario"_.

Peter was silent (doubly so) until he crossed his arms with a huff, "Fine," he said aloud, "go ahead".

Kakashi looked at Peter thoughtfully before addressing his students, "Stay here you three. There is no need for you to witness this sort of thing…not yet anyway," the three nodded grimly, Sakura actually averting her gaze from her sensei, as if to deny what was about to take place.

Kakashi opened the back door, waiting for Zabuza to head out. Said man took one last look at his partner, who was trembling in sorrow. "…Find a new dream Haku," he whispered, before standing tall and marching forward to meet his fate, Kakashi silently closing the door behind them.

 **Line Break**

A week later saw five people heading northwest from The Great Kaiza Bridge. Tazuna and the other workers wanted to name it after Peter, in honor of all the work he had done, but Peter convinced them otherwise, citing that Kaiza was the one who originally fought to make it happen.

Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to find that Peter was willing to come with them to Konoha. Apparently the kid felt like he could do greater things if he was employed to one of the hidden villages. Haku though…

Kakashi turned to look at the far-too-pretty-for-his-own-good boy aimlessly mess with his backpack as Naruto and Sakura tried to cheer him up. When he caught Kakashi's gaze he glared a bit before sharply turning his head. Which, in all honesty, was expected. Kakashi mused that it would be a good while before the boy even bothered to try and communicate with him.

Kakashi then looked at the other two boys in his group. Peter was being pestered by Tsunami, who was forcing a promise on the boy to write whenever he could and come by and visit every now and then. Tazuna and Inari were there as well, wishing Peter luck. Sasuke, Kakashi noticed, was a little ways away from the group, a hint of jealousy and longing in his eyes as he watched them.

Kakashi then decided to grab everyone's attention with a loud clap. With all eyes on him, he gave an eye-smile; "All right!" he cheerfully spoke, "Let's put this bridge to good use, eh?"

Sasuke grunted and started to cross, and Sakura ran to catch up, followed shortly by Naruto. Peter hugged his surrogate family goodbye one last time and stared to move forward. He stopped at Haku however, and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. Kakashi couldn't hear what Peter was saying, but whatever is was seemed to cheer the boy up a bit. Kakashi waited for them to walk ahead of them before walking forward himself, giving a lazy wave to healed family, and village, behind him.

 **A/N: And done. Man, that was fun to write. Anyhoo~, Peter (and Cassandra) will start to expand their efforts in Konoha, where friendship and camaraderie are so commonplace it might as well be the village bicycle (unless you are a certain blonde orphan, in which case you will be surrounded by idiots who never so much as opened a fucking history book in their entire lives and have to almost die a whole number of times before public opinion sways in your favor, or a raven haired orphan who decides to abandon said beliefs because his brother gave some shitty advice). Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

First Impressions

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were standing guard at Konoha's main gate, as they are wont to do.

"Hey Kotetsu".

Kotetsu shifted his eyes over to his partner, "Yeah?"

"Why are we always standing guard at the gate?"

He gave Izumo a questioning look, "…Because it's our job?"

Izumo shook his head, "I mean why US? Why are we the go to men for guard duty?"

Kotetsu scoffed, "You're exaggerating, everyone has to do their fair share of scrub work. Hell, ANBU practically beg for it after some of the rougher missions".

"Yes, but how come the two of us have been stuck on guard duty for the past 3 months?"

Kotetsu rolled his eyes, "Oh plea-" he then blinked as he remembered when he was charged with gate duty, "Holy crap, you're right". Izumo gave him an 'exactly' look. "…Well I'm not complaining".

Izumo was flabbergasted, "Wh-not complaining, why?"

Kotetsu looked him square in the eye, and started counting on his fingers, "Decent pay, easy task, reasonable hours, no long distance travel, and there is a bar right down the street".

Izumo blinked, "Oh…Guess we do have it good".

His partner smirked, "Yeah, just don't tell anyone…incoming," Izumo turned to see a small group heading towards the gate.

"Is that…"

"Looks like Kakashi Hatake and his squad finished their mission".

"…I thought genin teams had a max of three kids per group?"

"They do".

"Then why are there five?"

Kotetsu peered towards the group and saw two extra additions, a brown-haired boy and another in a pink kimono "…The face screams girl, but the posture says boy".

"Civilian refugees?"

"Doubt it, those two are eying the walls and us too critically". Both men looked at each other and shrugged, if anything important came up as a result of those two, the would know.

A few minutes later and Kakashi waved at the pair, "Yo," and handed them some papers as his students (sans Sasuke) began telling Peter and Haku about all the cool spots to visit in Konoha.

Izumo grabbed the sheets, "Hey Kakashi-san, you were gone a long time. Wasn't it just an escort mission?"

Kakashi just gave an eye-smile, and pulled out a small orange book "What can I say, things happen".

Izumo had looked over the forms and noticed something-or rather, lack thereof-pertaining to the newcomers, "…All that's on here is that they may be from The Land of Water" he gave Kakashi an incredulous stare, "There was really nothing else?"

Kakashi shifted his gaze over the top of his book, "Figured it would be best to put as little knowledge about these two in print as possible".

Kotetsu looked the pair over, "…Nobles?"

Kakashi grunted, "If only. I'm already going to have a lot to explain to the Hokage, so if you could just let us through. I want to at least go home after being berated for taking too long on a simple mission gone awry".

Izumo just shook his head with a smirk, "Good luck".

 **Line Break**

Kakashi was standing at attention in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, third and acting Hokage of Konohagakure, as he was calmly smoking on his pipe. After a long exhale of smoke, the old man said, "So, that is why you returned just now?"

"Yes sir" Kakashi replied

Hiruzen aimlessly nodded his head, "So…Zabuza Momochi" he then gave stood up and Kakashi a hard stare, "You should have sent for help at the slightest hint of trouble. Need I remind you that you team is not comprised of battle-hardened veterans, but young children!"

Kakashi gulped a bit at the harsh tone and murderous look in the Hokage's eyes. Perhaps putting the man's surrogate grandson in the path of a trained assassin was not the best decision he ever made.

Then, just as suddenly as the anger appeared, the man clamed down and took a deep breathe. "…Since this is the first team you have actually bothered to teach, I will let this slide," he held up a finger, "But this is your only warning. Next time you face such a threat I expect you to, if not flee, then send for assistance after the threat has been dealt with". Kakashi quickly nodded, "Now then, on to the matter of the two young boys you have brought to the village".

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Yes, Haku Yuki and Peter Parker".

Hiruzen mouthed the latter's name a few times, familiarizing himself with the strange name, "…And both are from Mist country?"

"Haku yes," Kakashi hesitated, "Peter as well, from what I have gathered".

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, silently asking for a more detailed response.

Kakashi gave a sigh, "Well, the Yuki clan, though minor, was moderately sizeable during the last Great War, and the boy has confirmed that Zabuza found him wandering the Land of Water. Peter though, I don't know exactly where he came from".

Hiruzen nodded, "Well, I have not heard of any 'Parker'," the name was still awkward to say, "clan".

Kakashi shook his head, "Peter said that 'Parker' is not a clan name, it's his family's name. Apparently his home village was host to a myriad of people with similar abilities to his".

Hiruzen hummed, "I do remember reading some mission reports of men and women with abilities like that of a spider. The names and locations escape me, but I will look up the files at a later date. Regardless, you could get no more information from young Peter?"

Kakashi clicked his tongue, "No. Unlike Haku, whose troubles and reasons for fleeing involved his parents and a handful of villagers, it seems as though Peter's people were wiped out in some massive sort of conflict".

"It seems?"

Kakashi took a moment to phrase his thoughts, "When he first spoke about their passing, his voice was detached, with hints of rage and sorrow. Personally, I think that he has repressed most of the memories of the battles that took place and only has snippets of a true account. Inoichi or one of his clansmen could give us a better look at the boys memories," Kakashi mentioned offhandedly.

Hiruzen shook his head, "And risk damaging the boy further, no". He then asked, "Do you trust in the boys words?"

Kakashi looked down in thought, "…He was nothing if not sincere".

Hiruzen nodded, "Very well. We may have to do some old fashioned digging into exactly where his village was located, but I will trust your judgment," Kakashi nodded his head.

"Now," Hiruzen began smoking on his pipe again, "which of them expressed the desire to join our village as ninja?"

"Both of them actually. It helps that neither of them are official ninja".

Hiruzen hummed, "But they have received some form of training?"

"Yes, Haku from Zabuza and Peter from his clan, presumably. It is all there in my report".

Hiruzen shifted his eyes towards the small stack of papers on his desk, written the neat and precise shorthand drilled into ANBU operative's heads heads. He moved the papers to the side, "Before that, let me meet out potential recruits".

 **Line Break**

Haku was incredibly nervous, though he was glad for the company Peter provided. To Haku's surprise, Peter was nothing but supportive of Haku in this rough period of his life. He had even apologized for insulting Zabuza when they had met while Haku and Naruto had their chat (though he had to admit, if not for his own discipline and devotion to Zabuza's dream, he would have tried to strangle the brown-eyed boy). He was also there as a shoulder to lean on in terms of the sorrow that came with losing a father figure.

"The best, and worst, thing about the ones who raised us," Peter had said as they left for Konoha, "Is that one way or another, they always find a way to stick around". Haku had to admit, it was true; even now, there was a little voice in his head that sounded just like Zabuza, giving him pointers on the best way to get rid of the secretary working at her desk without raising any alarms. Most would find that disturbing, but Haku just smiled and basked in the memories.

A knock on the door caught his attention, and he turned to see Kakashi peek in from the Hokage's office, "If you two would come in," he smiled, "that would be great".

Haku glanced over at Peter, who shrugged and got up from his chair.

Haku followed, nervous above all else. His biggest worry thus far was that he would be sent back to Water country. He didn't want that. Despite all odds, he had managed to make friends with the people that, for all intents and purposes, ruined his life. Though Haku might not admit it, they were his crutch. Ever since he was forced to leave his hometown, he felt the need to stand close to someone strong. For the longest time, Zabuza filled that need. Now, it was the friendship that Team 7 (mainly Naruto) and Peter provided.

He sighed, praying that things would go well.

 **Line Break**

Peter wasn't really sure what to expect as he entered the Hokage's office. From the absurdly high walls to the weird rip-off Mount Rushmore, his initial preconception of Konohagakure, one of the purported great villages, was changing radically. _"Then again, in a world where children are allowed to leave their homes in full a orange get-up and long red dress,"_ he mused, _"I really shouldn't expect things to be similar to, say, The Hand"_.

After crossing through the door, the first thing he noticed was the smell of smoke in the room. The second was the pinging of four extra people in the room aside from him, Kakashi, Haku, and the Hokage. Peter put two and two together, concluding that they were probably the Hokage's personal guard.

Speaking of, the man himself was not what Peter expected. At a cursory glance, the first thing Peter could see was that he was tired. The man looked old and weary as he silently smoked on his pipe, but still put on a warm smile at the sight of the two boys. "Hello there," the Hokage put his pipe away, "you must be Peter Parker and Haku Yuki. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of Konohagakure".

Peter and Haku both bowed (still a strange concept to Peter) and Haku said in a soft voice, "Thank you Hokage-sama, for letting us stay in your village".

Hiruzen smiled wider and spoke in an old but ultimately wise voice, "It is no trouble at all. I have always been a firm believer in helping out where we can". He leaned forward on his desk, steepling his fingers, "Now, I understand you wish to become ninja for Konoha".

Peter answered for both of them, "Yes sir, that's the plan".

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but Peter and Haku understood that what they said would determine whether or not they could stay. Haku answered, "I was trained from a young age to be a ninja by Zabuza-sama. It is all I have ever known, it is all I see myself doing. Now that he is-" Haku faltered, "…now that he is gone, I wish to put all that he taught me to good use".

Hiruzen nodded slightly, and turned his head to Peter. Peter took the hint, "Ooh, my turn. Well uh, I don't share his motivations I can tell you that". Peter wrung his hands together, "…I guess, the biggest reason I'm here is because this is the only ninja village I has some form of goodwill with," Hiruzen frowned at Peter's words, "I mean, for the longest time, I've just wanted to help as many people as I can. And I can't really do that if I'm just wandering around taking odd jobs," Peter started to rub his arm, "Way I see it, I can do a lot more good if I have a centralized location to fall back on when I need to rest".

Hiruzen in thought at the boy's honesty, "…I see," he finally said. He then flashed them one more warm smile, "Thank you for your candor. My secretary can give you directions to the inn you will be staying at. Don't worry about pay, that will be covered". Peter and Haku bowed before they left, and walked out the door, ready to rest after a long journey.

After they left Hiruzen turned to Kakashi, "They are certainly different aren't they?" Kakashi nodded. "Tell me," Hiruzen began, "Before I start reading the report, how do you gauge their skills?"

Kakashi placed a hand on his chin in thought, humming, "…Haku is certainly proficient in his kekkai gekkai, able to form complicated shapes of ice with a single hand, not to mention the fact that he is fast. However, he is also physically weak. He doesn't have much power behind his strikes, and can't take as many hits as someone of his skill level should. Zabuza most likely spent his time turning Haku into a hit-and-run type of fighter. Peter on the other hand, he is harder to pin down". Hiruzen cocked a brow, "In terms of taijutsu, the boy is very skilled. Maybe even on par with Gai at that age," Hiruzen blinked, to say someone was on par with Might Gai in taijustsu, at any stage of his life, was something, "He can, at the very least, dispel low-level genjutsu. The biggest source confusion is the fact that he doesn't seem to use chakra, at all". Hiruzen dropped fumbled with his pipe at that.

"So…he is like Might Gai and his protégé?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, I don't think he can't use chakra, he just doesn't".

Hiruzen tapped his pipe in confusion, and looked down at Kakashi's report to search for something, "…It says here you witnessed him tree climb".

"Yes, but according to Peter himself, whatever he does doesn't require chakra".

Hiruzen rubbed his forehead, "And he said that there were others like him," Kakashi nodded, "Then why have we never heard of them?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Perhaps they were just that good at keeping secrets".

Hiruzen just stared at Kakashi before shaking his head, "You can go and rest now Kakashi-san. Inform your team will be off duty tomorrow. I will send someone to get you when I am ready to make a decision".

Kakashi nodded and headed toward the door, but stopped just before opening it, "Are you considering putting those two on an active team Hokage-sama?"

"The thought has crossed my mind yes".

Kakashi hummed, "Will they be placed on mine?"

Hiruzen sent Kakashi a questioning glance, "Are suggesting I don't?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side, "Well, its just the three I have right now are finally coming through as an actual team. And I'm sure the others will say the same," Kakashi closed the door behind him.

Hiruzen took a deep breath with his pipe, "Yes, this is quite the unique situation". He then began reading Kakashi's report in full, looking to determine how to best deal with the two promising young ninja that were practically dropped on his lap.

 **Line Break**

After receiving directions Peter and Haku began the long walk towards the inn. Not that it was particularly far away, but the duo wanted to explore the town a little. Haku's reasoning was purely innocent, but Peter was trying to familiarize himself with the streets and the feel of Konoha's citizens.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just leap into the air and start swinging around; that would just raise a lot of questions, and probably put him at odds with the guys that have been following them for the past few minuets.

Peter looked at Haku as he stared around the village in wonder. Peter sent him a questioning glance, "Something interesting catch your eye?"

Haku jolted a bit and flushed as he looked to Peter, "Er, well, its just that, I've never really had a chance to walk around any village me and Zabuza-sama…visited".

Peter's eye twitched at that, _"Well Peaches, you may not have been a total dick, but you were still kind of a dick,"_ He then turned his head and saw some sort of game stall, like he would see at Coney Island. "Well," he put a hand on Haku's shoulder, pointing the other towards the stall, "Why don't we remedy that a bit". Haku gave Peter a small, grateful smile and started walking towards the stall.

 **Line Break**

Sora Fukada was a balding man wearing glasses over dark, wrinkled eyes, and was the proud owner and operator or a simple game stall. His old eyes caught sight of two young teenagers, a brunette boy and raven-haired girl, heading over his stall. He plastered a wide smile on his face. "Hello there," he told the pair as they approached, "Perhaps you would like to play a quick game, try and win a prize?"

The girl's eyes brightened, and she started to rummage through her pockets, but then stopped, and sent a pleading look to the boy. Apparently, she doesn't have any cash on hand.

Sora smiled as he saw the brunette boy roll his eyes and pull some ryo out from his pocket. "Thank you," he said, taking the 10 ryo necessary to play. He then took out three rubber balls and placed them in front of the girl.

His was a simple game, knock down a tower of six bottles in at least three throws. The girl picked up and inspected the rubber ball, combing it over with a critical eye. Apparently it passed inspection, as she started to aim.

With power that belied her size, the ball tore through the air, easily knocking over the bottles. Sora's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, he was pretty sure he heard some glass break! He then shook himself out of his stupor and smiled as he handed a stuffed bear to the young couple. The girl was too busy celebrating her throw however, so her escort grabbed the toy with a smile. Sora waved goodbye as the pair started to walk away, sighing, _"Ah, to be young again"_.

 **Line Break**

Peter had to admit, he was having a fun time. Haku was like a child in a toy store, wanting to try out everything, from the dessert stands to any and all game stalls, who was he to deny the boy some simple pleasures. Eventually though, Peter told Haku they had to stop, eliciting an effeminate pout from the boy.

They found the inn they were to stay at down their current street. There was a woman at the front desk, and when she caught sight of Peter (holding the various prizes Haku had won) and Haku (eating a stick of 'dango', some sort sweet if Peter heard right) her mouth twitched.

"Hello there," the woman, Akio, said with civility, "welcome to the Konoha inn. Are you here to rent some rooms?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah. Hold on," he pulled out a paper given to him by the Hokage's secretary and handed it to the woman. She took the paper, and opened it. Her eyes widened at its contents, but she then nodded and tucked the paper away.

"Follow me," she said, getting up from behind the desk and grabbing a key from the wall behind her. The pair followed her down the hall to a door with the numbers _122_. She gave Haku the key, "Here you are, and if I may suggest a visit to the hot springs? It's just down the road and a perfect way to unwind before going to sleep.

Haku, still eating the stick of dango, sent a questioning glance to Peter, who shrugged, "Why not?"

Akio gave a small bow as she bid them farewell. "Oh," she said as she was leaving, "just be careful of the owners. They don't like…roughhousing, and neither do I" she sent the pair a knowing stare before turning around and walking off. Peter sent a confused look to Haku, who just shrugged in turn.

 **Line Break**

Haku sighed in content as warm water enveloped his body. As per the woman's warning, the old couple who owned the hot springs were very grouchy and demanded propriety in their establishment. Of course, it could have also been because Peter and Haku were the only and presumably last people there, as the woman in the pair muttered something about "young people" and their lack of decorum under her breath.

Haku heard feet patter across the floor and turned to see Peter finally entering the hot spring. His eyes widened considerably at seeing Peter's body through the steam. The boy was rife with muscle to say the least. Even Zabuza, who was able to twirl a giant sword in one hand with ease couldn't boast to be as toned as Peter. Peter noticed Haku's expression, and asked what was wrong. Haku just pointed a finger to Peter, who looked down at his own body and nodded in understanding, "Ahh, it's the six-pack isn't it?" Haku slowly nodded his head, "Would you believe if I said I woke up one day and looked like this?" Haku just stared incredulously before shaking his head waving Peter to sit down.

 **Line Break**

Peter rather liked the hot spring. The bathing aspect was a little weird, but he was a quick study. It had a nice way of relaxing his muscles (of which he was a little self-conscious since Haku brought it up) and he wished these things were around in New York. He could only dream of how it would feel to sit down in the tepid water a long day crime fighting, _"Some calming music playing in the background, a refreshing drink hand, Mary J-"_ Peter stopped that train of thought in its tracks. Mary Jane, and anything pertaining to the redhead, was still a sore subject for him. He sighed, drying out his hair with a towel. He would deal with that entire situation when he got back home. He put on his shirt and started to walk out the locker-room-place, followed by Haku, who was straightening his kimono-sorry-his pink and flowery yukata.

As soon as they left the room however, they got a close look at the red-faces of the shuddering owners of the hot springs. "OUT!" the man yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Confused, and a little frightened, Peter and Haku let themselves be shoved by the irate owners. After practically being thrown out the front door, the woman gave them one last glare, "There are separate baths for men and women for a reason! Damn teenagers".

Her words didn't immediately register in their minds. But then it clicked, and both boys grew stark white in horror (Peter for more reasons than one). Yes, looking back on the day, they did look a cute young couple. "…Haku…" Peter said in a small voice, "…Let us never speak of this day…ever". Haku gave a slow, numb nod, and the two began the short trip back to the inn they were staying at, keeping a very respectable distance from each other.

 **A/N: So, I figured that since Haku already looks like a girl, it would be fun if people mistook him and Peter for a young couple. Hopefully you all found it funny. Aside from that, what will our favorite aging Hokage do with 2/3 of the Amazing (Ninja) Friends? What are your opinions on the subject? Why am I asking these questions when I myself am the author? Who knows? Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Smoking, it does the body bad.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter, despite the uncomfortable realization from the night before, slept soundly. Of course, he and Haku had made sure to sleep as far away from the other as possible. Peter shuddered as he remembered the utter embarrassment he felt last night.

" _Did you have a pleasant evening?"_ Cassandra asked, some mirth in her voice.

Peter's eye twitched _"I really don't need this right now"._

" _Perhaps,"_ Cassandra snickered, _"But still, the look on your faces was hilarious"._

All Peter did was groan as he got up from the bed. _"Just don't tell anyone okay? My reputation is bad enough without adding last night to the mix?"_

Cassandra scoffed, _"And who would I tell?"_ Peter just waved her off.

A yawn interrupted his conversation, and he turned to see get up from his side of the room. Rubbing his neck, Haku lazily swept his gaze over to Peter, and blushed in embarrassment as last night's events replayed in his own mind. Peter sighed, "Look. For our collective sanity, last night didn't happen," Haku just nodded as Peter got up to use the washroom.

 **Line Break**

Peter and Haku were once more waiting in front of the Hokage's office. Apparently he had made a decision as to whether or not they would be allowed to work in Konoha.

About a minute later the secretary waved them in. The Hokage was alone this time (not counting his guards hidden in the walls). After bowing to the old leader, he said, "Hello again. Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes Hokage-sama," Haku answered.

Hiruzen smiled, "Good. Now, I am sure you are aware why I called you two here?" Both boys' apprehension and excitement began to increase, "After some time, I have decided to allow you to work as ninja for Konohagakure, on a semi-probationary notice".

Peter and Haku sighed in relief and gave each other wide grins. Bowing to the Hokage, Peter said, "Thank you sir. But, what does that mean?"

Hiruzen steepled his fingers, "Well, for one, you will not be able to travel outside the village for at least a few weeks, and you will not be able to advance through the ranks until both myself and a few of your superiors feel you are ready. Also, given the uncertainty of your education, both of you will take tests, both physical and mental, starting tomorrow for the next few days". Peter nodded, that seemed fair. Hiruzen smiled once more, "After the tests are completed, and you are assigned to a team, you will both receive a stipend to by yourself appropriate gear". He stopped speaking to write down something on a piece of paper, "Here," he handed to slip to Peter, "the building and time you will go to for your tests. Also," he pulled out something from his desk, a pair of headbands with Konoha's sigil etched in the metal, "Your official headbands marking you as Konoha ninja, you can change to style of the band however you wish. Wear them with pride".

Grabbing the headbands, both boys gave deep bows before leaving the office, very pleased with how the day was starting.

 **Line Break**

Iruka Umino was, at the end of the day, a straightforward man. As such, he did not question it when he received orders to head over to the school he taught at on a weekend to administer a watered down exam to a couple of kids that wanted to become genin for Konoha.

Upon reaching the building, he saw the two kids he would be testing. He took a double take at the one in the pink yukata, _"Well, the report wasn't wrong, definitely looks like a girl from a distance, and maybe even up close"_.

Iruka gave his head a small shake and smiled as he walked up to the pair. "Hi there," he said, "You two must be Haku Yuki and Peter Parker. I am Iruka Umino, I'm a teacher here, and I'll be administering the test you will be taking".

Haku smiled and waved while Peter stuck out a hand, "Nice to meet you," Iruka shook the offered hand and led them inside.

 **Line Break**

Iruka was currently in the Hokage's office, a few hours after grading Peter and Haku's tests, which he had on hand. "So," the Hokage queried, "How did they do".

"Well," Iruka handed over the papers, "both boys did poorly on the history portion of the written test. I made sure to only put questions on common knowledge on our world, and nothing on Konoha specifically, so I recommend they receive some tutoring on that end". Hiruzen nodded, and gestured for Iruka to continue, "Haku just reached average for the mathematics portion of the test, nothing wrong there. And Peter," Iruka chuckled.

Hiruzen cocked a brow, "Well, how did he do?"

Iruka stammered a bit, "He, uh, well, he improved some of the problems".

Hiruzen blinked, "Improved?"

Iruka nodded, a bemused smile on his face, "Yeah. He wrote in the margins that the problems weren't stimulating enough, so he added things like air resistance, varying heights, different weights for kunai. It was really impressive if I say so myself, some of the math involved went over my head".

Hiruzen hummed, "So, he is an intelligent boy".

Iruka nodded once more, "Yes sir, perhaps as much as a Nara, and less lazy".

Hiruzen chuckled at the comparison, "And what of the practical portion?"

"Haku passed both the marksmanship and chakra portions, not doubt a result of his previous occupation. Peter though…he passed the marksmanship exercise, but declined the second part".

"Declined?"

Iruka nodded, "He said that he was never trained to use chakra extensively. Apparently his original mentors put greater emphasis on physical prowess, and he never had the chance too learn since…" Nothing needed to be said of the boy's circumstances.

Hiruzen just sighed, "No matter. Thank you Iruka-san, you are dismissed". Iruka bowed and saw himself out.

 **Line Break**

Peter was heading westward from the inn he was staying at. Apparently the Hokage wanted to test both Peter and Haku's combat skills (though Peter suspected it was more to get a better gauge on his).

A few more minutes of walking later and he saw a man leaning on a tree. It was a tall man, with spike hair, a beard, and one of Konoha's headbands. He was also wearing a green vest over a black shirt with matching black pants. He also had some sort of belt hanging over the front of his hips, the kanji for "fire" written on it. He was also smoking, which kind of irked Peter since this guy was supposed to be his guide or something, and saw fit to smoke in front of a (as far as he knew) kid. Walking up to the guy, he gave him a blank stare and said, "Those'll kill you, you know?"

The man lifted and eyebrow and huffed, "You wouldn't be the first to say thar kid. I'm Asuma, Asuma Sarutobi. Safe to say you're Peter Parker?"

Peter nodded, then paused and looked at the man more closely, "Wait, Sarutobi? As in-"

"The Hokage, yes, he's my father" Asuma got off the tree and jerked his head towards a path, "Ready to go?"

Peter shrugged, "Sure".

After walking in a comfortable silence Asuma stopped them at a clearing. He then told Peter to stay put as he walked over a few feet away, "Now listen, I was told to test out your combat strength, so don't hold back. I'll need to see your full strength in order to properly gauge you".

Peter was taken aback, "Wait, you want to fight me?"

Asuma shrugged, "It's the best way for me to tell".

Peter opened his mouth as if to say more, but ultimately decided against it crouched down low, raising his right arm over his head, and leaving his left arm parallel to the ground.

Asuma frowned; not recognizing the boys combat stance, but still readied himself, _"All right_ ," he thought, _"Based on the mission report, kid is-!"_ Asuma quickly ducked to the side as Peter barreled past him feet first. He turned around to see Peter swing on a tree branch and shoot towards him again. Asuma jumped high, _"Fast! He is very fast!"_ Asuma quickly shot out several shuriken, which Peter effortlessly dodged.

Peter then back flipped up a tree, landing on the trunk with his back. He gave Asuma a quick wave before shooting out a web shot. Asuma brought out a kunai to block the projectile, and was rewarded with the webbing covering both the kunai and his left hand.

He landed with a grunt, and took a moment to look at the strange substance covering his hand. He then looked over to where Peter was, and groaned, as he was no longer there. _"I wonder if Gai is having as much trouble as I am?"_

 **Line Break**

"YOSH! IF I AM UNABLE TO WORK A WAY TO DEFEAT YOU I SHALL ASK YOU TO MAKE A 500-NO TWO 1000 POUND BLOCKS OF ICE FOR ME TO CARRY ON MY BACK AS I RUN AROUND KONOHA UNTIL THEY MELT!" Haku's eye twitched as the strange man with orange leg warmers, a bowl cut, a green vest and jumpsuit, obscenely shiny teeth, and very large eyebrows shouted with the same vigor he held when they started their sparring session. Haku had quickly set up a dozen ice mirrors once the fight began, but the man was too fast to actually hit, _"Of course, if he is supposed to test me, he needs to be a lot faster than I can throw"_.

Haku jolted as a fist came into view, and he hopped to a different mirror before it shattered. He narrowed his eyes, _"That is the third time he almost hit me, and not a copy…that cannot be luck"_.

"So, once more you have escaped my blows," Haku almost cried out in joy as the man had actually lowered his voice. That joy soon dissipated however, "NO MATTER! IF YOU ARE FAST ENOUGH TO DODGE MY STRIKES, THEN I JUST HAVE TO BE FASTER THAN I WAS SECONDS AGO!" Haku just groaned and readied another salvo of needles; this would take awhile.

 **Line Break**

Asuma was starting to get irritated. Evidently the kid thought that he was in the middle of grand old game, if all the taunts on how his "smoking must account for his being sucky at combat" and other similar comments meant anything. Granted, the gibes did nothing more than irk Asuma, but against an irrational foe they would certainly give the kid an edge, _"And yet, if he doesn't shut up, I myself may lose it…could this be a kekkai genkai?"_ He shook himself from his musings as he dodged another volley of webbing.

"Hey man! If you're just going to stand around like a deer caught in headlights, I'm just going to leave. I mean, it is getting close to lunchtime," Peter's amused voice rang through the trees.

Asuma's eye twitched, _"Definitely an innate ability…"_ He weaved through some quick hand signs, grinning as he saw a quick blast of webbing come from his left. Ducking down, he quickly turned in that direction, shouting, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" The end result was a large force of wind erupting from his outstretched hands (thought toned down, as he did not want to accidentally kill the kid).

The leaves parted in the trees, but to his amazement the kid just clung on tighter to the tree, no sign of dislodging. After the blast died down, they looked at each other, silent.

Peter then clicked his tongue, "So…wanna call it a draw?"

Asuma just shook his head, "Can't," he sighed out.

"Figured," Peter drawled, dodging a barrage of shuriken.

 **Line Break**

Might Gai, Kurenai Yuuhi, Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi were all mingling outside the Hokage's office. "So," Kakashi gathered everyone's attention, "What do you think we're in for?"

"Probably those two kids you brought in" Asuma answered, somewhat irritably.

Kakashi sent him a knowing smirk, "Peter?"

"Peter". He then straightened up, "Gotta say though, kid's good. Couldn't go all out, but he kept me on my toes. What about you're kid Gai?"

Gai smiled, striking a pose, "A MOST-"

"SHH!"

Gai flinched as the Hokage's secretary shushed him, his fellow teachers laughing at his expense. He sent a sheepish grin in the man's direction, then started speaking again, in a much softer voice, "A most youthful young man. His ice abilities are certainly genius, but I ultimately won," he looked at Kakashi, "You're report on his abilities was spot on".

"Hmm?" Kakashi cleaned out an ear, "You say something?"

Gai fell on his knees, "GRAH! CURSE YOU KAKASHI! WITH YOUR HIP AND COO-AHH!" Gai was cut off as a stapler smacked him in the face. The other three teachers looked over to the secretary, who just shook his head and pointed to the Hokage's door. They made their way inside, Asuma stopping to help Gai up.

Once inside, they all bowed to the Hiruzen, who began to speak, "First, Gai-san, Asuma, I would like to thank you for taking the time to spar with Peter and Haku". The two nodded and told the Hokage it was no problem. "Now, onto business. Haku has, as previously considered, far less endurance than he should. If I recall it only took two hits before he was considered unfit to fight?" A nod from Gai, "Yes, nothing surprising there. His scholarly knowledge is also as expected, but that is nothing a tutor cannot fix. Then there is the anomaly, Peter Parker". The four teachers unconsciously leaned forward, eager to learn more about the enigmatically powerful child, "As you suspected Kakashi-san, Peter does not use Chakra at all".

All but Kakashi recoiled in shock, Asuma saying, "Wait, none at all? But, that doesn't make any sense".

Hiruzen nodded, "The two Hyuuga who were watching your spar confirmed it. Peter, though capable, did not use Chakra".

Asuma looked his father straight in the eye, "So, his strength and speed…"

"All natural".

Kakashi smirked, "Well, looks like he might give you and that protégé of yours a run for your money, eh Gai?"

Gai just clenched his fists, "HAHA! I WONDER WHAT SORT OF TRAINING THIS YOUNG MAN HAS DONE IN ORDER TO BECOME SO STRONG AT HIS AGE, AND IF HE CAN GIVE SOME POINTERS TO ROCK LEE?"

Kakashi put a hand to his cheek, "I think he said he woke up one day with all that strength. Didn't mention anything about training, sorry Gai".

Gai slumped to the floor as Asuma tried to cheer him up. Clearing her throat, Kurenai said, "Shouldn't we move on to the next important item, like whose teams they will join?"

Hiruzen nodded "Of course," he then shifted some papers around his desk. He had already decided that Peter would join Gai's team, as they were shaping up to be a team specialized in close-quarters-combat, and Haku with Kurenai's team, as the boy could provide the burgeoning scouting team with a good means of cover and escape.

He then stopped in place as he heard a voice whisper in his head. It was feminine, old, it, it sounded like his late wife. He let the voice carry him, listened to its gentle commands. He started to sway his head.

"Father!"

Hiruzen jerked his head and saw the worried face of his son inches away from his own. Squinting his eyes and shaking his head, Hiruzen said, "Sorry Asuma, maybe those years of smoking are finally catching up to me. But don't worry, I won't die until you give me a grandchild".

Asuma just looked at his father, then let out an airy chuckle, "You already have a grandson".

"Doesn't mean I don't want more".

"Um, Hokage-sama?" Both men turned to see Kakashi, "The boys' team assignments?"

"Right," he cleared his throat; "I have decided to place the two on a daily rotation system between your four teams, going from, Gai-san, to you, Kakashi-san, Asuma, and then Kurenai-san. Peter starting with you Asuma, and Haku, with you Gai-san".

All four blinked at the information, "Um, Hokage-sama," Kurenai began, "Isn't that a bit unorthodox?"

Hiruzen shrugged, "This in an unorthodox situation. We have not one, but two experienced youths joining as ninja of our village, and that is not enough for a full team. Not to mention the fact that there are not currently any jonin ninja capable of forming a team on such short notice". All four acquiesced to the solution. "If that is all, then you are dismissed. Oh, and the boys join your teams starting tomorrow". The four teachers bowed and left the office, pondering on how to best blend the new additions to their teams, even if on a semi-temporary basis.

 **A/N: And done. I had this whole 'rotation' thing planned out for a while. If you have any questions as to why…well, just look at the first couple of chapters. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Lazy Days

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Haku was walking back to his room after a relaxing bath at the local hot springs. Thankfully, he was able to tell the elderly patrons that he was actually a boy. They still hassled him over his effeminate looks, choice in clothing, and higher pitched voice, but now he and Peter were not banned for life.

Upon entering their shared room, Haku was surprised to see Peter hunched over a table, a multiple pieces of cloth and fabric splayed out around him. He cleared his throat, but Peter paid him no mind. Rolling his eyes, Haku walked up to Peter and tapped him on the head, "This that project of yours?"

Peter flinched at the sudden contact, and looked up at Haku, needle and thread in hand, "Hm? Oh, yeah actually. Figured I might as well make myself a uniform, you know, being a ninja and all". Peter went back to work.

Haku got a closer look at the clothing Peter was working on, "…And red and blue were your first choices?"

Peter snorted, "Said the guy who wore a poofy dress during a big fight".

Haku's eye twitched, "It's not a dress," he ground out; "It's a yukata". Peter waved him off.

Sighing, Haku walked over to his bed, "Anyway, I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning". Peter nodded absentmindedly.

" _He has a point Peter. Perhaps less bright colors would be of greater use"._

Peter snorted, _"Please. If these people let children run around in red dresses and orange jumpsuits, I think my classic look will fit in just fine. I'm just glad this place has spandex and one-way glass"._

" _Another thing,"_ Cassandra added, _"Should you not wear that chain armor that seems to be popular among these people?"_

Peter shook his head, _"No can do, too restrictive. I wouldn't be able to move as much as I can with that thing on. Besides, I can dodge machine gun fire in my sleep. A bunch of guys throwing sharp bits of metal will be child's play…I feel like I just jinxed myself"._

Cassandra chuckled, _"I just had the same thought"_. In the end, Peter gave up that line of thinking, and worked towards finishing his costume.

 **Line Break**

Asuma and Kurenai were leaning standing by the same tree, as far away from Gai as possible. "Does Gai seem," Asuma shifted his gaze over to Gai once more, who was now on 2,562 pushups and counting, "…stranger to you?"

Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose, "Are you really asking that question?"

Asuma thought for a moment, then shrugged, "Yeah. Guess you're right". He then heard footsteps to his right, and looked over to see Kakashi walking over, orange book in hand, "Well I'll be damned, you're on time". Kurenai looked just as shocked, and Gai actually stopped his crazed exercise.

Kakashi shrugged, "I mixed up calendar dates. I thought a book sale was going on today, but it is actually tomorrow. After that disappointment, I remembered we all agreed to meet here to pick up the newbies, and I didn't see the point in getting undressed".

Gai sprung up from the ground and landed with a pose, "YOSH! IT IS MOST YOUTHFUL OF YOU TO FINALLY SHOW UP ON TIME MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" Kakashi flipped a page in his book.

Kurenai felt a vein pulse, "How can you read that…smut in public?"

Another shrug, "The character's are relatable". He flipped another page, blinked, and started to giggle.

"Yeesh, and I thought Wade has issues". All four teachers jerked at the new voice. They turned their heads upward, towards the trees, and saw a very strange sight, even for them.

Both Peter and Haku were perched on one branch; Haku leaning on the tree itself, and Peter crouched over the branch in a way that suggested flexibility far beyond what should be humanly possible. Another odd thing was their choice of attire. Not Haku's per say, the green robes seemed appropriate, though the mask did look more like something an ANBU operative would wear. No, the one with the weird look was Peter. For one, he was in a full body outfit. It was mostly red, with blue…tights, more blue along the side of his ribs, and some blue on the underside of his arms. On top of that, he had black lines running crisscross over the suit, and large, opaque white lenses for eyes, and a small black spider in the center of his chest.

Asuma broke the silence that had befallen the teachers, "…Looks like they one-upped you in the mask department, eh Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded, "It would appear so…Who's Wade?"

"Depends on the day of the week. Is that really porn?" Peter gestured to the book.

Kakashi nodded, and was then shocked as Peter sent out a web-line to yank it out of his hands, "Hey!" Kakashi shrieked, fear in his voice. Then, to his surprise, Peter didn't throw it away; he started to read it. Even Haku was visibly perplexed at the action.

A few pages in, Peter tore his gaze away from the book, "This…is surprisingly good".

Kakashi let out a sigh of…gratitude? "Right? Wait, you're a minor you can't read that. Besides," he shimmered out of view, reappearing in front of Peter, who calmly handed the book over, "this is my copy".

Kurenai cleared her throat, "Are we just going to let it slide that we just let a couple of rookies get the drop on us, and one of them just read porn in front of us?"

"To be fair," Haku said, "you were distracted".

"Yes," Gai clapped Kakashi on the shoulder, "My eternal rival is full of surprises. But still, reading such material at your age, most unyouthful".

Peter shrugged, hopping to the ground, Haku following suit. "I've seen worse, er, I mean I've seen better. Wait…" he put a hand to his chin, "…whichever I suppose".

Kakashi shrugged, and started to walk away. Asuma called out to him, "Where are you going?"

He replied, "I skipped breakfast. Besides, don't you all have genin to teach?"

Gai began to nod enthusiastically, "YOSH! COME HAKU-SAN, LET US GO MEET TEAM 10! IF YOU BEAT ME TO THE TRAINING FIELD, I SHALL FORCE MYSELF TO CLIMB THE HOKAGE MONUMENT USING ONLY MY CHIN, WITH BOULDERS WEIGHING ME DOWN!" With that said, Gai sprinted away into the forest.

Haku looked at Peter, "Wanna trade?" White lenses stared back, "Thought not" he sighed, making a hand sign, disappearing in a cool mist.

Peter then turned to look at the two remaining teachers, "What direction are we headed?" Asuma pointed, "Cool, cool…Later" he shot out two web-lines, shooting high in the air, whooping in joy.

Asuma and Kurenai followed his form for a moment, then Asuma looked over at her, "So…same time tomorrow?" A nod, "Great, it's a date," Asuma then made his own was, oblivious to the blush creeping on Kurenai's face.

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru was, honestly, having a nice day. His mom got sick, and as such has been unable to yell at him (and his father to an extent) to get up and do things. Then he comes to meet his team 10 minutes late, and sees that Asuma isn't even there. If only Ino would shut her mouth.

"I said, where do you think sensei is?" the blonde glared at the lazy genius.

Shikamaru gave out a suffering sigh, tearing his gaze away from the clouds, "I don't know. It's too troublesome to think about".

"I don't know Shikamaru," their third teammate, a young big-boned youth named Choji said, putting down his bag of chips, "Ino's got a point. Asuma-sensei is never late".

Ino made a grand gesture, "See, even Choji is worried".

Shikamaru groaned in response, "Fine, he probably got held up getting his cigarettes," he shut his eyes, "Now shut up and let me sleep".

"Sorry I'm late" Shikamaru cursed every deity he could think of.

"Hey sensei," Choji began to eat again, "What kept you?"

Asuma lit up a new cigarette, and looked around, "Well, you guys hear about those two kids brought into the village a few days ago?" two nods and a non-committal wave, "Right, well, long story short, they'll be joining us every now and then. But, he should be here".

"Oh I am" Shikamaru jerked up and looked at the tree he was laying under, "But I figured it would be better to wait for you to catch up".

The three genin were stunned to see a figure leap high out of the tree and land gracefully in front of them. His outfit was a little odd, but the most unsettling features were by far the large white eyes.

Asuma cleared his throat, "Why don't you take off the mask and introduce yourself?"

The boy nodded, and reached for his mask. He hesitated a bit, something Shikamaru took notice of, but ultimately went through with the act. Underneath the mask was a young boy with brown eyes and hair. He smiled, "Hi. My name's Peter Parker".

Choji was the first to respond, "Choji Akimichi. Want a chip?" Peter took it, a bemused smile on his face.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and made to lie down again, but Asuma clearing his throat convinced him otherwise, "Troublesome…Shikamaru," another throat clearing, "Nara".

At that moment Ino sidled up close to the boy, a sly smile on her face "Hello yourself. My name is Ino Yamanaka". Peter blinked, stepped back, and calmly put his mask back on, much to Ino's annoyance.

Shikamaru took note of Ino's displeasure, "…This is all kinds of troublesome".

 **Line Break**

"So…you guys do this everyday?" Haku was worried that what Gai and his…clone were doing- laps vie handstand while screaming about the joys of youth- was a common occurrence.

Tenten gave him an awkward smile, "No, its not usually this crazy".

The other boy, Neji, scoffed, "Such exercises are futile. Lee will never rise above that which fate has laid out for him".

Haku gave him a confused look, "What's up with you?" Neji did not respond. Haku shrugged and readjusted his mask.

"THAT'S ENOUGH LEE!" The two stopped their manic exercise, "NOW, SINCE YOU ARE ALL AQUAINTED WITH OUR NEW COMPANION, HAKU!"

" _Does this guy have any sense of volume control? Maybe I should invest in some earmuffs…"_

"WE SHALL COMMEMRATE THIS DAY WITH AN ALL NEW TRAINING PROGRAM!" Tenten groaned.

"Yes!" Lee gave a bright smile to Haku, "To celebrate this new youthful bond we share!"

"LEE!" Gai started to tear up, "YOU'RE COMRADRIE FILLS ME WITH PRIDE!"

"GAI-SENEI!" Lee started to tear up as well, and ran towards his sensei, arms stretched wide.

"LEE!" Gai reciprocated.

"Avert your eyes".

Haku only had time to scrunch up his face before his saw why. He then spent the next half an hour stopping himself from poking his eyes out with a needle.

 **Line Break**

Peter crouched low on a rooftop, gazing intently on the streets below. After a few moments of careful analysis, he decided he was safe, and jumped down, sprinting to the inn he was staying at. Upon entering and locking the door, he was greeted by the curious sight of Haku lying down on a sheet of ice, limbs hanging limply on the side. "What happened to you?" Peter asked as he took his mask off.

Haku just barely lifted his head, "The green devil of Konoha. And you?"

Peter shuddered, "Spent half the time avoiding this girl Ino". He slumped onto a chair, "She cannot take a hint. Hopefully tomorrow's batch will prove less crazy".

Haku managed a smile, "Well, it will certainly be nice to see Naruto again".

 **Line Break**

"Haku!" Naruto ran up and slapped him on the back, "How're you doing?"

Haku chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm, "I've been good. What about you?" He looked at Sakura and Sasuke, "Anything exciting happen?"

Naruto pouted, "No. Gramps won't let us go on another C-rank mission".

"Naurto," Sakura admonished, "The last mission we went on was a complete disaster!" she then realized who was with them, and flushed in embarrassment, "Er, I mean, not you, but-"

Haku waved his hand with a chuckle, "I get it". He looked around, "Where's Kakashi? He was right behind me".

Another pout, "Sensei is always late," but a wide smile quickly replaced it, "But that's fine, cause today you can see me finally beat Sasuke in a fight".

Sasuke scoffed, "In your dreams".

 **Line Break**

Kiba was absentmindedly, aggressively scratching his dog, Akamaru's, fur. So much so that he did not notice when Akamaru began to whimper.

"Um, Kiba-kun?" he quickly turned his head towards the shy heiress, who responded, "Akamaru l-looks uncomfortable".

Looking down, he did see his dog squirm in his grasp, "Woah! Sorry buddy," he quickly released the young hound, who yapped in reply "Guess I'm a little tense".

"Why?" Hinata prodded.

Kiba growled lightly, "Those two new guys sensei told us about. I don't need anyone trying to steal my thunder!"

Hinata giggled, "I-I don't think you h-have to worry a-about that. R-right Shino-kun?" No response, "Umm, Shino-kun?"

Kiba noticed that their teammate was unresponsive, "Yo Shino!" That got the kid to jump slightly, "You okay? You've been acting weird for the last couple of days".

Shino turned his gaze to Kiba and Hinata, "I am fine".

Shino was most certainly not "fine". In fact, no one in the Aburame clan could describe themselves as "fine". Over the last few days, every single beetle (and subsequently, every clan member) felt pure, unadulterated terror. No one could figure out why. Whenever a member tried to send out kikaichu beetles, or any of the variants, to track the source, they would refuse, something unprecedented within the clan.

And now, Shino's beetles were going haywire, which meant that whatever the threat was, it was heading their way. It was only through sheer force of will that Shino did not bolt out of there.

A few minutes later, Kurenai appeared. Hinata greeted her, followed by Kiba and Akamaru, and eventually Shino.

Kurenai looked around, "Where is he?" she quietly asked.

Kiba was about to ask whom she was talking about, but then Akamaru barked. "What? You hear something?" More barking, "What do you mean 'thwip'? The hell goes 'thwip'?" Then Kiba heard it as well, as did the rest shortly after.

Turning in the direction Kurenai came from, the "thwips",and now "whooshes", steadily got louder. Then, a figure burst from the treetops, climbing high in the sky. The sun obscured their vision, but thankfully, it started to drop down. After clearing a tree, another "thwip" was heard, and the figure bobbed up and down a tree branch, before stooping low overhead, webbing in hand, spider emblem proudly on display. "Howdy," he said.

Kiba clicked his tongue, "Show-off".

"Kiba, be nice," Kurenai chided him.

A loud thud echoed across the trees.

"Shino-kun? Shino-kun, w-wake up!" Hinata was crouching over Shino's limp body, lightly shaking him.

Peter quirked an eyebrow, "Was it something I said?"

 **Line Break**

"…Haku was right, they are crazy," Peter could only stare blankly at the identical duo as they ran around like a couple of lunatics. He then looked at the other half of Team 10, "At least you guys seem sane".

Tenten huffed, "Thanks".

Peter peered closer at Neji, "…Hey, you related to that girl, what's her name…Hinata?"

Neji flinched at the name, and clenched his fist, "Yes," he spat out, "we are cousins".

Peter frowned at the venom in the kid's voice, "Well if you aren't full of familial love? What she do, pull you hair? Which, by the way, looks fabulous, who's your stylist?"

Neji swiveled his head and grit his teeth, but before things could get ugly Lee and Gai bound in between them, "YOSH!" Gai shouted, "IN COMMEMERATION OF YET ANOTHER COMRADE, WE SHALL INCREASE THE INTENSITY OF OUR TRAINING!"

Tenten groaned, "Sensei, if we get any more 'intense' I might break in two".

"Nonsense Tenten!" Lee gave her a thumbs up, "So long as we remain youthful there is nothing we can't accomplish!"

"LEE! YOUR WORDS FILL MY HEART WITH JOY!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

" _Why is my spider-sense actin-"_ "OH DEAR GOD!"

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru was, as always, lying down and watching the sky. The only drawback was Ino's intermittent giggles. Eventually, it became too much, "Good god woman, can't you let me rest". She paid him no mind. Shikamaru huffed and followed her line of sight, and groaned as he saw she saw staring at the other new guy, Haku. _"Troublesome, those two are going to be the death of my naptime_ ".

Over by Haku, who was talking to Choji and Asuma, "How do you eat?"

Haku was perplexed by the question, "I take ofF the mask".

Choji eye's widened, "Why put a buffer between food and your mouth?"

Haku gave him a blank stare (not that anyone could tell), and instead turned to Asuma, "So, what do you have planned?"

Asuma chuckled, "Well, in case you couldn't really tell, we are all just taking it slow to give you both time to get to know us".

Haku scoffed, "Tell that to the 'sublime beast'".

Asuma snorted, "Yeah, I know what you mean".

 **Line Break**

"Peter that was so cool!" Naruto praised after seeing Peter swing into the training field, "You gotta teach me how to do that jutu!"

Peter chuckled, "Sure, just one question, how do you feel about spiders?"

"Spiders? Uh…"

Peter put his arm on Naruto's shoulders, "Yeah, spiders. Their hairy legs creeping all along your bodies, until they eventually borrow inside and make a nice cozy home to forever create webbing".

Naruto shivered, "No thanks".

 **Line Break**

Kiba and Akamaru were lying on a sheet of ice, sighing, "Hey," Kiba looked over at Haku, "You're okay guy, definitely better than that show-offy jerk".

Haku chuckled, "Peter's not that bad".

Hinata nodded, "Yes Kiba-kun. H-he was very funny, i-if a bit crass". Kiba harrumphed and focused on the coolness permeating his back.

"I actually agree with Kiba," everyone looked over at Shino in surprise (though Haku's did not feel the same surprise as Team 8), "There is something very strange about that boy".

Kiba barked out a laugh, "HA! You're just saying that cause he made you faint".

Shino dug his face deeper into his collar, though one could still see red lining his cheeks.

 **Line Break**

Peter met up with Haku after "training", and they were now walking to their inn, "So," Peter began, "How were your four days?"

Haku smiled, "Very well all things considered. Though I am…hesitant, to train with Gai again, there is not much to complain about". They walked in silence for a couple of blocks, then Haku started to speak again, "Where are you going to live?" Peter quirked a lens- _"How does he do that?"_ -" I mean, we can't exactly stay in the inn forever".

Peter tilted his head to the side, "True...I'll ask around I guess. On that note, would you like to room together?"

Haku gave his friend an odd look (mask notwithstanding), "Really?"

Peter shrugged, "Why not? It's worked so far, and we can split the re-!" Peter swiveled his head toward the inn.

Haku frowned, "Something wrong?"

"Not sure..." he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Make some needles in your sleeve." Haku did as he was asked.

Entering the inn, the two were met by a nervous Akio, "Hello boys," she said through a strained smile, "Someone has been waiting for you in your room. I suggest you meet him". Taking the cue, the boys slowly made their way to the room.

Upon opening the door, they saw an old man with dark hair, drinking tea at the table, bandages covering half of his face, a frown placed on what wasn't covered. The man's appearance immediately put Haku on edge, and he had to fight the urge to paralyze him then and there. He put his teacup down, and shifted his lone, cold eye to the boys, "Greetings. Won't you take a seat?"

"I tend not to listen to people calmly drinking tea in a place they weren't invited too". Haku sent Peter a quick, nervous glance.

"Now, now. There is no need for such hostility. My name in Danzo Shimura, and I am here with an offer," the now named man calmly stated.

Taking the boys silence as interest he addressed them fully, "Obviously, you two are far more skilled than ordinary genin. I happen to know of a way in which you both could receive that which you truly deserve".

Peter adopted a thoughtful pose, "Gee wilikers, what a nice gesture, isn't that nice Haku?" Haku chose not to respond, "But I'm afraid we'll have to decline. I mean, I make a habit of not trusting creepy old men at first blush, and Haku here," Haku clenched up as Peter draped an arm over his shoulder, "Gosh darn it, he just started crocheting, and in all honesty that kinda thing takes precedence over any and all shady deals". He opened the door, and shrugged, "I'm afraid you'll have to go".

Danzo's frown deepened, but he got up, and coldly told the two, "Very well. But know that my offer still stands". After he crossed the threshold Peter made a point of slamming the door.

Haku broke out of his stupor, "Peter I don't think that was very smart".

Peter waved him off, _"Yeesh, Haven't felt such a spike in my spider-sense from one guy in a while"._

" _Yes, and you must take care to never let yourself fall into his schemes,"_ Cassandra informed him.

" _Gee ya think?"_

" _I'm serious. A great deal of the threads I could glean off of him from that short meeting were devoid of all emotion whatsoever. Associating with him at this point would damage the Web more than help it"_.

Peter nodded, "Hey Haku," Haku grunted in response. Peter then shot out two web-lines onto the ceiling, pulling on them to reveal two masked individuals. They tried to escape, but Peter was too quick, slamming their heads together, knocking them out, "Gonna want to look into that apartment sooner rather than later".

 **A/N: And done. Man, not even a full week and I already have another chapter out. I am on a role. Anyway, a lot of people were introduced in this chapter; hopefully I did them all justice. Remember to leave a review. Later.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

TO THE LIBRARY! (For a crash course in fatalism).

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Hiruzen Sarutobi put away the last sheet of paperwork he had to sign for the day. He let out a sigh of relief as he set down his pen, grabbing his pipe. He stopped his celebration however; as he remembered he had one final appointment for the day. His wrinkled face grew grim as he set his pipe down.

After a few moments, his secretary knocked on his door. Issuing a gruff command, the door opened, and Danzo Shimura entered his office. Hiruzen leveled his old friend a glare, "…Do you know why you are here Danzo?"

The bandaged man grunted, "You have finally seen reason, and have decided that I am to be Hokage".

Hiruzen gave a cold smirk, "No, we both know that I won't let that happen. No, this has to do with the impromptu visit you paid our newest genin. They said you offered them a deal".

Danzo hummed, "But of course, though I am old and inactive, I am still a shinobi of Konohagakure, and when I heard that two talented young men had entered my ranks, I had to offer my services".

Hiruzen frowned, "Out of the goodness of your heart of course. Regardless, this meeting is more focused on the company you see fit to keep. Namely, the two individuals you sent to spy on Peter Parker and Haku Yuki," he snarled "Two men who were a part of your **discontinued** ROOT program if I remember".

Danzo chuckled, "Hiruzen-"

"That's Hokage-sama to you," the Hokage leaked out some killing intent.

Danzo took it all in stride, "Hokage-sama…As I just said, I am still a shinobi. I am still in contact with men and women from my long career. Those two are old friends who offered to watch over me as I met these two boys. After all, one of them was raised by one of Kirigakure's top assassins, one cannot be too careful".

"…And the fact that they did not leave with you?"

"Well, obviously they were going to, but that Peter boy prevented them from following. A rash one he is, in need of strict discipline".

Hiruzen's frown deepened, "…That will be all Danzo".

Danzo bowed, "Of course…Hokage-sama".

After he closed the door, Hiruzen let out an irritated breath, banging a fist on his desk. At the sound of paper spilling to the floor, he almost screamed.

 **Line Break**

Kakashi stared at the bar which he had only ever visited a handful of times. He wondered why he had agreed to come and meet up with the other sensei to begin with. _"I mean, its not like we've ever really hung out before…The only one I have any sense of meaningful contact with is Gai, and even then I don't take the initiative,"_ he frowned, _"In fact, I never even really thought about getting together with any of them before…what changed?"_

Before he could ponder further however, Asuma called out to him, "Hey Kakashi, how long you going to stand out there for?" Kakashi looked at the man, then sighed and entered the building.

 **Line Break**

Peter was sitting on the couch of his new apartment, deep in thought. "Peter," he looked over at Haku, who was making simple shapes out of ice, "What are you thinking about?"

"Notice anything," Peter paused, "Strange, when you're with Naruto".

Haku snorted, "Define strange".

"People glaring at and muttering about a twelve-year-old boy with no an odd degree of hate".

Haku stopped playing with his ice, "…Yes…Now that you mention it, people do glare at him".

Peter waved a hand, "Why?"

Haku tapped his cheek, "…He is a self-proclaimed prankster, maybe they were on the receiving end of a practical joke".

Peter shook his head, "Every adult that crosses his path? I doubt it. Besides, they don't look at him with mild annoyance. No, that's real loathing in those eyes".

"Any you have experience with that sort of thing?"

"Yes".

The blunt and quick answer took Haku by surprise. Peter stood up and began to pace around the room, "What could it be…Children don't really glare at him, only adults…They barely even refer to him as a person, always muttering 'thing' or 'beast' or some other synonym…They always stop themselves too, as if to avoid a certain word of phrase…Maybe…!" Peter stiffened, then moved towards the door.

Haku called after him, "Where are you going?"

"To the library," Peter half-shouted from the door, "Don't wait up for me, I might no be back for awhile". As the door closed, Haku could only create his own speculations as to why Naruto was scorned as much as he was, it sounded remarkably similar to something Zabuza mentioned, once or twice. He closed his eyes, focusing on the memory, to try and glean any sort of information of the conundrum.

 **Line Break**

Kakashi stared blankly at the three jonin he was sitting with. One of the benefits of a round table, he mused, was that you could easily see the actions and reactions of your companions. For example, in just half an hour, he was able to confirm the rumor that Kurenai had a crush on Asuma, and vice versa. And Gai, well, you didn't need 30 minutes to get a proper read on him. He sighed, which Asuma heard, "What's wrong," the man asked, "Been so long since you went out you forgot how to be social?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Maybe. Or maybe I'm thinking about how Peter and Haku are making all us look like bad teachers".

Kurenai smirked, "I don't think comparing our students to those two is a fair comparison".

Kakashi grunted, "Hmm, doesn't mean they don't kick their butts every sparring session".

"YOSH!" Several patrons immediately shushed Gai, who blushed, "Erm, though those two are more experienced does not mean that our own students cannot eventually catch up and perhaps surpass them through hard work".

Asuma snorted, "Gonna have to count Shikamaru out then". All present chuckled.

Kurenai then asked Gai, "What about that boy in your team, Neji?" Gai cocked a brow, "How is he taking the defeats? He was top of his class wasn't he?"

Gai sighed, "…Not well".

Asuma sent him an inquisitive look, "How so?"

Gai looked pensive.

 **A Couple Day's Ago**

Haku and Neji both stood in the training field, eyes trained on each other. Haku took off his mask to give Neji a warm smile, "Let's have a good match". Neji merely narrowed his eyes and grunted. Haku's smile was replaced with a frown as he put his mask back on.

Tenten and Lee were off to the side. "You can win Neji!"

"Yosh! Show his the power of your youth Neji!"

Haku chuckled, "Well, don't I feel loved".

Gai lifted an arm, "Ready…" he threw his arm down, "Begin!"

Both boys started the match by going through handsigns. Neji finished his first, shutting his eyes tight. "Byakugan!" when he opened then, veins pulsed around them, and the eyes themselves seemed as though they were clenching, forming a thin pupil. Haku finished his signs soon after, and a cool mist rolled in, making Haku vanish from sight. Neji stayed in place, arms raised in anticiapation.

Tenten peered through the fog, and groaned, "I can't see a thing".

Lee gave her a thumbs up, "Have faith Tenten, Neji will pull though". Tenten smiled in return.

Neji stood rigid in the center of the mist. He then saw something in his field of vision, and jumped forward, avoiding half a dozen senbon needles flying at where he was. More needles were sent flying, but Neji smirked, as he could see them all well before they hit him. He ducked and weaved; dodging all the needles sent his way. After another salvo of needles, he started to pant, but still dodged a kick sent his way by Haku.

Haku flipped in midair, landing on his feet. He then said, "My, and here I thought the tales of the Byakugan were greatly exaggerated".

Neji smirked, "With these eyes, I can see all".

Haku chuckled, setting Neji on edge, "Perhaps, but, can you evade all?" Using his left hand, he made a sign, and all the mist on the battlefield began to swirl, coalescing into a dozen floating mirrors. Haku then jumped into one of them, disappearing from view once more.

Neji tensed, moving slightly to capture all the mirrors into his field. He hopped left as a flurry of needles shot from a mirror in front of him, then right as they came from behind. Again and again he jumped around to avoid getting struck. Then, after a minute of dodging, he slipped up, and a needle caught his right foot. He tripped to the ground with a thud, Byakugan fading from the shock of getting hit. He pushed himself off of the ground, and looking up, saw Haku standing over him, palm outstretched, "Let me help".

Neji just glared and turned his head away. He stood up, and began to limp towards a tree to lean on as he licked his wounds.

 **Present**

All present blinked. "…Sounds like he didn't take it well," Asuma broke the silence.

Gai's frown deepened, "It got worse".

 **Yesterday**

Peter was looking between Gai and Neji, "…Yeah no, I'm not doing this".

Gai frowned, "Why not?"

" _Can't exactly tell them I'm a grown man and it would feel wrong to just beat on a kid,"_ he shrugged, "I think it would be in everyone's interest if I just fight you instead," Peter pointed to Gai, "It'd certainly be more entertaining".

"HAHA!" Gai boomed, "I ADMIRE YOUR YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE! BUT IT WOULD BE IMPROPER FOR YOU TO AND I TO FIGHT! BESIDES, THE BEST WAY FOR ONE TO BOND WITH THEIR TEAM IS TO TRADE BLOWS IN BATTLE!" Peter sighed and faced Neji, who was glaring harder and harder at the masked boy.

At Gai's signal, Neji activated his Byakugan and surged forward. Pete clicked his tongue and quickly, easily sidestepped his first strike. Neji gritted his teeth and struck at Peter a few more times, none of which hit their mark. On his fifth swing, Peter grabbed Neji's arm, "Listen buddy," Neji struggled against his iron grip, "This will turn out a lot better for both of us if we just stop this fight now". Though Peter spoke with sincerity, Neji could only hear the infuriating condescension he had been hearing his whole life from the Main Branch. With a cry, he struck at Peter's arm, but the red and blue clad teen back-flipped away and landed on a tree.

Peter then tilted his head to the side, "So, just a quick question but, what are you aiming at?" Neji glared, "I mean, you got your fingers in that weird pointy thing that people do when they want to hit pressure points, but you aren't aiming at pressure points".

Neji snarled, "My Byakugan give me the ability to see all 361 tenketsu points along the body's chakra pathways".

Peter was silent, "…Wow…That sounds like the kind of thing you'd want to keep to yourself…What is it with children and talking about how everything they do works. I mean I know I used to do it, but that's mainly when I'm on the winning side of a battle…Yeah, kind of like now". Neji's all seeing eyes saw red, and he rushed at the tree Peter was resting on. In his blind rage, he did not even notice that Peter flipped off of it and landed behind him, or that a hand was aiming for his neck.

 **Present**

Kakashi let out a low whistle, "Two harsh defeats in a row (sort of), that kind of thing can demoralize a kid".

Gai sighed, "If only," at the others looks, he continued, "After training ended for the day I asked him to stay behind for a few minuets".

 **Yesterday (Part Deux)**

Gai was looking down at Neji, who himself had his gaze fixed firmly on the ground, "Neji," Gai spoke in a (relatively) soft tone, "Are you all right. I know you are used to winning your spars, and both Peter and Haku were able to defeat you…"

Neji scoffed, "'Able to defeat me' sensei? No," Neji looked up at his teacher, eyes set in a soft glare, "I never stood a chance, those two were fated to beat me". Gai bit back a groan, "Haku, who was trained by one of the top assassins from a land which specializes in assassinations, Peter, a young boy blessed with a plethora of abilities," he let out a dry laugh, "There is no way for me, or any genin in my year, to beat them. They are destined to shine above us". With that said, Neji marched back to the Hyuuga compound, leaving a disappointed Gai behind.

 **Present (II: The sequel)**

Gai heaved a great sigh, "That boy…if he does not let go of his fatalistic tendencies, he will never become greater than he is…"

After a pregnant and somber silence, Kurenai clicked her tongue, "Its that damn clan of his; his cousin, Hinata, as just as many issues".

Asuma gulped down his drink, "And? Not like you can just march down there and change decades of tradition".

"Still…" Kurenai brooded.

Kakashi spoke up, "Regardless of his personal issues, do you think he stands a chance in the upcoming Chunin exams, fatalism and all?"

Gai's smile returned, "Of course! Why, I bet my whole team could advance to chunin after these exams".

Kakashi smirked, "Really now…"

Asuma frowned, "What are you planning Kakashi?"

Kakashi shifted a sharp, amused gaze to all three of them, "In honor of this newfound camaraderie we now share, how about a wager?" Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai all leaned forward, with varying degrees of interest.

 **Line Break**

Opened books and crumpled scrolls lay haphazardly around Peter, scanning through two at a time for some form of proof to support his thoughts. _"Come on…aha! Bingo!"_

" _What is it?"_ Cassandra asked.

" _Listen to this: 'For as long as mankind can remember, savage demons have roamed the land, hunting us and laying waste to all around them. They are massive beasts, most easily recognized by their giant tails. They are called the Ichibi, the Natabi, the Sanbi, the Yonbi, the Gobi, the Rokubi, the Nanabi, the Hachibi, and the Kyuubi',"_ There were drawings accompanying the words as well, ranging from a raccoon looking creature made of sand to a giant bull-octopus thingy. _"This section looks newer: 'The tailed beasts, as of the last few decades, have not been seen as often as they once were. Some speculate that the beasts have entered a sort of hibernation, and fear that when they awake they will be stronger. Others say that there is a way to'…"_.

" _Peter,"_ Cassandra noted his hesitation, " _What does it say?"_

Peter gulped, _"It reads: 'Others say that there is a way to seal the beasts inside a human being, so that that human might gain the beast's power'…Cassandra, do you think that…Naruto could be one of those people, with a demon sealed inside him?"_

Cassandra hummed in thought, _"…If that were true, it would explain why there is something sealed inside him to begin with. Of course, the next question would be why seal it inside of him, and how that would relate to the hatred others show him"._

Peter nodded and stood up; walking to the front desk, "Excuse me," the old man at the front raised his head, "Where might I find some sort of encyclopedia on the village's history?" The man took out a slip of paper and wrote down some numbers, handing the slip to Peter and pointing to the back of the building, "Thanks".

Soon after Peter found a large book titled The History of Konohagakure: Fifth Edition. _"Let's see here…'The Founding of the Village', nope…'Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha', unimportant…hello, 'The Kyuubi's rampage'"._ Peter read over the passage, and with each paragraph the pit in his stomach grew bigger and bigger. After finishing the section, he leaned back on his chair, _"So…twelve years ago this thing, this Kyuubi, appears out of nowhere, lays waste to the village, and is 'killed' by the now deceased Fourth Hokage"._

" _But if our suspicions are true,"_ Cassandra's grave voice rang in his head, _"Then the book is wrong, and the Kyuubi was not killed, but sealed in Naruto, back when he was a baby"._

Peter's face set into a frown, _"But why, why would this guy seal it inside Naruto of all people, what makes him special? Why would the Fourth Hokage-what the hell is the guy's name anyway?"_ Peter flipped through the book once more, and found the section dedicated to the Hokage that ruled the village. Peter scanned the names, _"Lord First, Hashirama Senju…Lord Second, Tobirama Senju, hello nepotism…Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi…Here we go, Lord Fourth, Minato Namik-!"_

Cassandra blinked at Peter's silence, _"What is it Peter?"_

"… _Look at his face, and tell me who he reminds you of"._

Cassandra obliged, and looked through his eyes. What she saw shocked made her recoil in shcok, _"My god! His hair, his eyes! They are similar to-"_

" _Naruto,"_ Peter finished her thought.

Cassandra's mind went into overdrive, _"But, what, how. If they truly are related, why do they not share last names?"_

" _Keep Naruto safe I suppose,"_ Cassandra asked him to explain, _"Well, it says here that Minato's claim to fame was during the last Great War. Apparently, even after a treaty was signed, a lot of people were calling for his head. If he is his father, someone must have made the executive decision to change his name, throw people off of the trail"._ Peter returned to the passage dedicated to Minato, one sentence however, caught his attention, an brought up dread, _"It, it says here that he was a master in Fuinjutsu, the art of making seals..."._

Cassandra gasped, " _But, that would mean he, he sealed the beast in his own child?"_

" _That's the logical conclusion. The bastard, as all 'geniuses' are wont to do, wanted to test out his skills. Obviously the best way to do that is to find one of these beasts and seal it in a person, and who better to use than your own child?"_ Peter gripped the book so hard he didn't notice the spine starting to tear.

Hearing the anger in his thoughts, Cassandra sought to calm him down, _"Now hold on Peter, we do not know the whole story. Perhaps there were outside forces at work"_.

Peter snorted, _"Ok, so this destructive, ginormous fox demon just popped in unannounced for shits and giggles? No, someone brought him, and my money's on blondie"._

Cassandra sighed, _"Regardless Peter, keep this to yourself, I highly doubt the local populace will appreciate your attempts to defame a national hero. And do not tell Naruto, especially since we do not know the whole story. This kind of half-baked theory about his (most likely) father would-"_

" _Mess him up?"_

" _For lack of a better term"._

Peter let out an aggravated breathe, and then began the tedious work of placing all the books and scrolls back where he found them. He would mull over the new information for a while yet.

 **A/N: So yeah, Peter thinks Minato is a madman who was willing to use his own child to further his own achievements, kind of like a supervillain. Obviously this could not be further from the truth, but I think that, from the perspective of someone with no insight into Minato's true character (and who is used to dealing with actual psychopaths who would put their own children in harms way *cough* *cough* Norman Osborne *cough*), sealing a malevolent entity into a child (your own child no less) is a questionable, if not damning act. Bottom line, Minato is not Peter's favorite person at this point in time. Also, Neji's fatalism is intact (in what I hope to be a believable representation of both the fatalist philosophy and Neji's personal perspective), because I could not just get rid of such a crucial plot point. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

To the Lake! (For a playdate)

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter didn't sleep well after returning home from the library. His mind was plagued with thoughts of Naruto and the situation that was forced upon him (by what Peter strongly suspected to be a true bastard of a father). As such, when he went over to the kitchen, he did not so much as look over at Haku, who in return sent Peter a concerned look. "Are you all right?" his roommate asked, "You seem…grouchy".

Peter looked at Haku through narrow eyes, then turned his attention to the fridge, "Stayed up too late last night. I only got five of my seven required hours of beauty sleep".

Haku nodded, "Of course, not that you mention it, I do see some wrinkles".

Peter snorted, "Smartass". Haku laughed.

 **Line Break**

"All right team, that's it for today, later," with that unceremonious good-bye, Kakashi flickered out of sight from his genin squad.

Naruto immediately turned over to Sakura, "Hey Sakura-chan, wanna head over to Ichiraku's for some ramen?"

Sakura sent Naruto a half-annoyed, half-guilty look, "No Naruto. I have to help my parents clean the house today".

Naruto pouted, and gave a half-hearted good-bye. He looked over at Sasuke, who grunted and started to walk home. Naruto sharply turned his head away, grumbling to himself.

"I'm still here you know". Naruto yelped, and craned his head to see Peter crouching low on a branch, "And let me say, I am starving…Ichiraku is a restaurant right?"

Naruto gave a wide smile, "Only the best restaurant in the world!"

Peter grunted, jumping down to meet Naruto, "Well lead the way then". Naruto's grin widened as he lead Peter to his favorite place.

About half-way there Peter asked Naruto, "So, are we just going to ignore the square rock that's been following us for the last block or…?"

Naruto sighed, "…I was hoping they would give up," then grinned mischievously, "come here," Naruto abruptly turned into an alley, Peter close behind.

Not a second later, the box-rock entered the alley as well. "…I thought you said he turned down this corner," a voice whispered from the box.

"I did!" Another voice replied, not quite as soft, "Udon, back me up".

"I can't even see anything from back here," a third voice answered.

"Well…you guys are just the epitome of stealth aren't you?" an amused voice called out.

The box-rock jumped in shock, and then began to shake, "S-show y-yourself". A fist rapped the top of the box-rock. It shifted to get a closer look, and was rewarded with the sight of a contorting figure in red and blue with large, white eyes staring down at it.

"Boo".

Three figures rushed out of the box, two boys and a girl, all three wearing green goggles on their foreheads. They huddled together, one of the boys wearing a scarf screaming, "Save us boss!"

Laughter reverberated through the alley. The three youngsters turned around to see Naruto on the floor, clutching his sides in pain, "HAHAHA! Told you it would be funny!"

Peter was laughing as well, flipping to the ground "I'll admit, that was fun".

Comprehension dawned on the trio, and the scarfed boy smiled, "Oh, I get it! Great prank boss! See guys, told ya he was awesome!"

Naruto, finished laughing, raised an eyebrow, "So uh, who are they?" he pointed to the other boy and the girl.

The three shared a look, and then adopted poses, "The world's sexiest kunoichi, Moegi!" the girl stated (Peter gave her a blank, incredulous stare).

The other boy, wearing glasses and with snot dripping down his nose, spoke next, "I love math, Udon!"

The scarf wearing boy spoke last, "The most brilliant shinobi ever, Konohamaru!"

All three spoke together, "We're the Konohamaru gang!"

Peter quirked his lenses, (which all present found weird), and looked over at Naruto, "Friends of yours?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sort of. Hey…what's with the goggles?"

All three turned to Naruto, showing off their headwear, "Like it?" Konohamaru asked, "We got 'em cause they're like your old ones".

"Awww," Peter clasped his hands together, bringing them up to his cheek, "That's adorable".

Naruto's eye twitched, "Shut up!"

Konohamaru and his squad all turned on Peter, "Yeah, don't make fun of the boss!"

Peter held up his hands in defense, "All right, take it easy. What do you guys want anyway?"

"Boss promised to play ninja with us!" Peter gave Naruto a look.

Naruto scratched his head, "Maybe later you guys, we were just about to eat"

The trio was dejected, and began to slink away. Peter took pity on them, "Hey, food can wait. Besides, this way we can really work up an appetite".

The kids all gained hopeful smiles and sent pleading looks to Naruto. He was about to protest, but the combined looks of the three and Peter's own stare broke his resolve, "…Maybe for a few minutes," he grumbled out.

Peter smiled, "Cool, why don't we head over to the usual training ground. Meet you guys there," with that said, Peter shot out a web-line, swinging away.

A block or two away, a lone figure watched behind a wall as Naruto and the children ran towards the forest.

"You know Hinata," she jumped as a voice spoke above her, "Things will go a lot smoother if you actually talk to the guy".

Hinata craned her head to see Peter (sitting?) on the wall above her, "Ah," she finally said, "H-hello, Peter-kun".

Peter waved a hand, jumping down from the wall, "Just Peter. All those suffixes make my brain hurt. Anyway, why don't you just go strike up conversation with the Naruto, I mean, you obviously want to".

Hinata started to push her fingers together, "W-well, it's j-just that I'm v-very shy a-and…" she slumped down; "I'm pathetic".

"No you're not," Peter gently chided her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You're a young girl with a crush on a boy, what you're going through is a perfectly natural thing".

She pouted, "But S-Sakura-san a-and Ino-san are b-both so aggressive t-towards Sasuke-san".

Peter nodded, "Yes, but they are not you. Not to mention the fact that Sasuke has girls literally fawning over him," he shrugged, "If they want his attention, they have to be over the top. You were lucky enough to find a guy that no other girl finds endearing…If it makes you feel any better, I used to be crippling shy towards my first crush as well".

Hinata perked up at that, "R-really?"

Peter leaned against the wall, looking at the clouds, "Oh yeah. I would get all tongue-tied, trip over my own two feet, all in all I was a total dork".

"Did y-you two g-get together?"

Peter shook his head, "Nope. We didn't really click. Course, I found that out only because I took that step and tried to get to know her- _that and she was a cheerleader and I was head of the mathletes_ ".

Hinata stared down at her feet for a while after that. Then, she sighed and nodded her head, "Could you please lead the way to Naruto-kun?" Peter smiled, pushing himself off of the wall.

 **Line Break**

Peter walked towards the sound of laughter, and saw Konohamaru, his friends, and Naruto sitting on the lakeside. "Hey guys!" he yelled out.

Naruto looked over, and shouted in return, "Hey Peter! What took you so long?"

"Well, on the way I-hold on a second," he shot out a web-line and tugged, revealing a blushing (and slightly disoriented) Hinata, who was hiding behind a tree, "I found Hinata here. Figured I'd invite her over, make it an even six".

Naruto frowned, walking closer to the two, "Really? She wants to join?"

Peter gently nudged Hinata, who gulped, "U-um, yes, I w-would like to join you all. If t-that is o-okay w-with you," she meekly added.

Naruto placed a hand on his chin, then shrugged, "Why not". He turned around to join Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. Hinata gave a sigh of relief, and looked over at Peter, who gave her a thumbs up.

Walking over to the group, they started to think of something they all could play. After a moment of silence, Peter snapped his fingers, "Hinata, you've got that weird eye thingy right. Let's you see in a 360 degree sphere of vision?"

Hinata nodded, "The B-Byakugan, yes".

"Well then, we'll play a modified version of hide-and-seek, with you," he pointed at Hinata, "As the seeker. You just use that eye magic, and we'll hide to the best of our abilities".

Konohamaru was all for it, "Yeah! That way we can practice being real shinobi!"

Naruto sent Hinata an inquisitive glance, "You can really do something like that?"

Hinata blushed and nodded, going through the necessary hand sings to activate her birthright. After activating her eyes, her blushed deepened when Naruto peered closer, "Woah…that's pretty cool!" Her face was like a tomato.

Peter decided to intervene before the poor girl overheated, "All right, let's all go hide! Hinata, count to a hundred and then go nuts". The five hiders all ran in different directions, while Hinata herself deactivated her Byakugan and started to count.

 **Line Break**

Peter was high in a tree, smiling down at the five children at play, seemingly without a care in the world.

" _I must say,"_ Cassandra mentally spoke, _"You seem to have taken quite an interest in both Naruto and Hinata"_.

Peter shrugged, _"Yeah, well…Naruto kind of reminds me of Harry I guess, they both have crappy dads and too little to be truly happy about. As for Hinata, well, I'm a sucker for love"_.

Cassandra chuckled, _"As good a reason as any I suppose"._

" _You got that right,"_ Peter replied, laughing out loud as Naruto and Konohamaru slammed into each other in an effort to avoid Hinata.

 **Line Break**

Naruto was in a chipper mood as he led Peter to Ichiraku's for a late dinner. He had to admit, it was fun to play with Hinata, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. Of course, Hinata was a little weird. Every now and then she would get all red and start stammering more than she usually did. He frowned, trying to think of why she did that, "Hey Peter," he eventually spoke aloud, "Do you know why Hinata would get all red and start stuttering like crazy?"

Peter gave Naruto what he assumed was a blank stare, based on how long he was silent, "...She's shy".

Naruto frowned, "Well, that makes sense I guess". He then shrugged, dropping the subject.

After walking past a corner, his eyes perked up, "There it is!"

Peter took a long look at the restaurant-which, in his eyes looked like a glorified, elongated stall. But, the food smelled good, even from the distance they were, so he was willing to give it a try.

Naruto ran up, slamming a hand on the counter, "Hey Teuchi! Six orders of Ramen!"

Peter waved his arms back and forth, "Hey now, I'm hungry, but not that hungry".

An older man-Teuchi, Peter deduced-moved to the front counter, "Oh no young man, that's Naruto's regular meal", he pulled out a menu, "Take a look and see what catches your interest".

Bemused, Peter took the menu, eventually deciding to play it safe and have a bowl of miso soup. "Ayame!" Teuci called out to his daughter, "One bowl of miso soup, and Naruto's regular".

"Got it," she replied.

Teuchi turned back to the boys, "So, you're a friend of Naruto's then?"

Peter nodded. "If I may, what's with the mask".

Peter shrugged, shifting the mask up just enough that he could eat, "The anonymity, and a bit of hope I guess". Bothe Teuchi and Naruto sent him quizzical looks, prompting him to explain, "Well, it's basically my way of saying that anyone can do good things. Naruto here can tell you that I do all sorts of different "jobs" around the village pro bono," Teuchi nodded, having heard rumors of a costumed youth doing odd jobs around town for no pay. Peter continued, "So yeah, you don't need to be special, or have 'magical ninja powers' to do a good thing".

Naruto hummed in agreement, "So its your nindo".

Peter quirked a lens, "My what?"

"You know," Naruto shrugged, "Your ninja way, your code".

Peter was silent, "Well, not really. It's a nice philosophy I'll admit, but those aren't the words I live by," Naruto and Teuchi frowned in confusion, "It's just, as much as I want people to stand up for themselves and do the right thing, there comes a time when you should really leave the job to people that can handle it". Naruto's confusion had lessened a bit, but was still a little unsure of Peter's point. Peter sighed, "You don't send out a painter to put fix a leaky roof".

Naruto understood, "Ok, but what is your nindo?"

Peter smiled, "Some words my uncle told me a long time ago, 'With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility'".

Teuchi nodded his head slowly, "Your uncle sounds like a wise man".

Peter chuckled, "Wiser than I gave credit".

Naruto rubbed his head, "What does that mean?"

Peter sent him an amused look, "…I've heard a lot of different interpretations over the years, what do you think?"

Naruto thought long and hard, "…I guess, it means…that you should…"

Naruto was interrupted as a man entered the stall. All present turned to see who it was, and when the man saw Naruto his face soured, "Hm, I thought this place had class".

Naruto started to look down once the man said that, but then sharply jerked his head up as he heard a yelp of fear. He blinked when he saw the man not a few feet in front of him, but across the street, webbed upside down on a wall, struggling to break free. Peter hopped back in his seat, "Now that that's out of the way, your answer".

Naruto pointed a shaky finger, "Y-you, why?"

"Cause I know what its like to have a bad rep. I also know that you can't let a couple of morons keep you down. People are going to be against you no matter what, all that matters is the ones you have at your back".

All three (Ayame had come by with a pan ready to be thrown) were speechless at the words coming from the boy's mouth.

Naruto's eye gleamed with a small hope, "You…know? So does that mean-" he stopped himself.

Peter shook his head, "No, not like **that** I'm afraid".

Naruto frowned, looking towards the ground once more, but then stared wide-eyed at Peter was something dawned on him, "Hold on! You know" he then flinched and started to whisper, "You know about..." he left the question unsaid.

Peter shrugged, "Its not that hard to figure out, honestly surprised I'm the only one in the age group to know," took off his mask, sending Naruto a warm smile, "But I know a few people like you, and I also know that, at the end of the day," he poked Naruto's chest, "You're all you".

Naruto blinked, then turned his head away, furiously rubbing his eyes, "…I'm, uh, going to have to get back to you what you're nindo means".

Peter chuckled, "Take your time. Hey, what's burning?"

Teuchi and Ayame, who were watching the scene with tears in their own eyes, looked at each other in panic, "The Noodles!" Peter and Naruto doubled over in laughter as the two chefs scrambled to salvage their meal.

 **Line Break**

Hiruzen cleared his throat as he looked upon the various jonin in his office, "Now that our security matters are all taken care of, it is time to ask the instructors among us whether or not they wish to enter their team's in the exam".

Gai immediately came forward, "I nominate Team 10," Hiruzen nodded, having expected the response.

He was thrown for a loop however, when Kakashi stepped forward, "I nominate Team 7".

Followed by Asuma, "I nominate Team 9".

And lastly, Kurenai, "I nominate Team 8".

All present stared on in astonishment, but Hiruzen soon broke out of his stupor, an intrigued grin creeping up on his face. This year's exams would be interesting.

 **A/N:** **I was planning on moving forward to the exams, but then I decided to make this a light and happy chapter to combat the last chapter's gloominess. Hope I succeeded. Also, I will not be showcasing much of the first and second parts of the exams, as they will be mostly unchanged (this is due to the fact that Peter and Haku can't participate, as they are still on probation). The third part however, open season.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Almost needed those brown pants.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter smacked his lips together as he opened the fridge, _"Is this milk still good?"_ he took a whiff, _"Guess so"_. He closed the fridge, walking over to the table. Suddenly, his spider-sense blared in his head. "AHH!" he cried out, dropping the milk and leaning on the table as he clutched his head.

Haku leapt into the kitchen, senbon needles in hand, "Peter! Are you okay?"

Peter didn't answer him, his spider-sense blocking out all sensations except FLEE. After a moment, the pain subsided, and he shook his head, _"Thanks Cassandra"_.

" _Don't mention it, though we will talk later"._

Peter then looked up at Haku, "Sorry Haku, got a splitting head-ache, think I overdid it a little yesterday".

Haku lowered his arms with a frown. They had been told by the jonin sensei that, for the next few weeks, they and their students would be too preoccupied with the upcoming Chunin Exams to train the duo. Gai and Asuma, their sensei's for the day, decided to give them some apology gifts. At least, Haku got a gift (in the form of a buffet at the local barbeque) Peter's "gift" was more along the lines of "special" training. Haku winced at the memory of a tired Peter trudging into the apartment, "…If you say so…let me know if its gets worse, I should have something to fix that".

Peter sent a non-committal wave, picking up the milk and making his breakfast.

 **Line Break**

" _Peter what was that?"_

Peter paused as he put on his costume, _"I don't know. It,"_ he shuddered, _"Feels like a bunch of my enemies are having another team-up, but worse, like, like Kingpin wants to start a war on skinny jeans worse"._

" _Be serious,"_ Peter shrugged, grabbing his mask. Cassandra hummed in thought, _"A hidden plot perhaps?"_

Peter grunted, pulling his mask on, _"Well, right now there only seem to be two danger zones, and both feel different"_.

" _How so?"_

Peter pursed his lips, _"…The closest one feels like Doom or Red Skull, calculated, precise…the other one feels more like whenever Galactus comes to town, total annihilation"_.

Cassandra furrowed her brow, _"And both are equally destructive…we need to keep an eye on this"_.

Peter snorted, _"What, want me to go up to them and exchange pleasantries?"_ Silence. Peter gulped, _"You're kidding"_.

" _Perhaps not walk up and shake their hand, but at least show yourself, give them reason to think of you, that will be enough for a thread to form, and give me insight into their thoughts, no matter how miniscule"_.

Peter waved her off, opening his window, "Hey Haku," he called out, "I'm going to swing around the village, clear my head for a bit," without hearing his friend's reply, Peter shot out a web-line, swinging towards the closest threat.

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru chuckled as he walked through the streets of Konoha for the first time in years, in the guise of a genin instructor no less, _"Hehehe, what memories these streets bring,"_ he bent his head down, an evil grin forming, _"I wonder how quickly they will run red when I begin this village's destruction"_. A strange sound interrupted his internal monologue, causing him to scan the sky. His eyes widened slightly when he saw that it was a young looking figure in a full red and blue costume. Kabuto had mentioned such a person in a report a week or two back. He apparently had a skillset similar to that of Kidomaru. He eyed the boy as he crouched over a rooftop, _"Hmm…he is certainly agile, and his ability to produce webbing seems more refined than Kidomaru's…perhaps it is a mutation within the bloodline"_. Orochimaru was intrigued, but ultimately ignored the youth; he had more pressing matters to deal with. Perhaps, before this was over, he would collect a blood sample from the boy, he was certainly worth studying.

 **Line Break**

Kankuro nervously slinked behind his siblings, nervously peeking at Gaara. He knew that he pissed his brother off, and it was hard enough placating him enough as it is. Kankuro was so stressed out; he didn't even notice someone walk in front of him.

Kankuro bumped into the person, a boy in a red and blue suit, but managed to stay steady, "Woah there," the boy said, "Don't want to fall on your ass".

Kankuro looked at the boy, and noticed the leaf insignia on his belt. He grunted, "You watch it! - _Damn Leaf genin, messing with me all day today"_.

"Kankuro," a harsh voice rang out in front of them. Kankuro gulped and looked over the boy's shoulder.

"Y-yes Gaara?"

The redheaded boy's glare seemed to deepen, "Are you so eager to die today?"

Kankuro broke out in a cold sweat, "No! Of course not, I just tripped is all, and this guy helped me up, nothing to worry about".

His sister cleared her throat, eyeing Gaara nervously, "Well, we should really be going shouldn't we?"

Gaara looked over at the masked boy, "…This is the second time today I have had to apologize for your actions".

Kankuro gulped once more, "Sorry Gaara, it won't happen again".

"It better not," he shifted his gaze to the other boy, "I apologize for my brother".

The boy shrugged, already walking away, "Don't mention it".

The three siblings watched the boy turn the corner, then, with a gruff command, Gaara led them away.

 **Line Break**

" _Holy Crap!"_ Peter was leaning on a wall, taking deep, steadying breaths, _"I thought gourdy over there was gonna snap and kill everyone in a ten-mile radius"._

Cassandra hummed in thought, _"Yes, that boy is very dangerous, more so than that man you first visited, I will do my best to keep a close watch"._

" _How did I do on the whole 'thread making' thing anyway?"_

" _Good enough,"_ Cassandra nodded, _"A thread sprung up between you and the adult, but it is a thin strand at best, perhaps formed out of mild interest. The boy seems full of anger however, and his thread was quick to form. Regardless, unless you interact them both on a more substantial basis, I won't get more than fleeting thoughts and feelings"._

Peter let out a mirthless laugh, _"No thank you, I'd sooner steal Logan's last beer while he was in the middle of drinking it than meet up with those two wackos again"_.

 **Line Break**

Peter was sitting on the edge of a rooftop, thinking back on the two very dangerous individuals that had entered the village. He was so engrossed in his thoughts; he did not even notice that Haku had joined him until the boy coughed.

Peter turned around, looking at Haku, "Oh, hey there".

"Hello yourself," Haku sat down next to Peter, holding out a stick of Dango, "Better?" he asked, biting into his own bit of food.

Peter shrugged, rolling up his mask, "Mostly," he took started to eat the sweet, "Everyone else is taking those exams…today right?"

Haku shook his head, "Tomorrow, but yeah, everyone is participating".

Peter hummed in thought, "…We haven't trained together at all have we?"

Haku blinked at the question, "…No…no we have not".

Peter nodded at Haku, "Well then, we'll do that tomorrow".

"Tomorrow, what about today?"

Peter stood up, "Well, I don't know about you, but I gotta fill up my Good Samaritan quota," he shot out a web-line, "See you back at the apartment".

 **Line Break**

Haku was lying down on a sheet of ice when Peter finally made it to the training grounds, "About time, what kept you?"

Peter waved, "Yeah sorry, it's just, did you know we get paid for doing odd jobs around the village?"

Haku cocked his head to the side, "It's a standard procedure in all hidden villages. Wait, you didn't know?"

Peter shrugged, "Well, yeah. I was on my way when I was stopped by that Iruka guy, said that I needed to come with him, collect my pay".

Haku was silent, "…Was that your first paycheck? Have you not been getting paid when you do jobs with everyone?"

Peter blinked, "What, no! I just mean that apparently, when I help people carry groceries or find lost pets, since those are technically missions issued by the Hokage, I get paid for completing them, something about paying dues. They did ask me to stop however".

"Why?"

"Apparently if I fix everyone's problems, none of the other genin will be able to get paid".

Haku chuckled, "Seems fair". He hopped to the ground, "So, ready to do this?"

"Oh yeah," Peter cracked his knuckles, crouching down, When I win, you're doing the dishes for a month".

"And when I win," Haku formed five senbon needles in each hand, "You do the dishes for two months".

Both boys stared the other down (masks not withstanding). Impatience soon won out however, as Peter shot a flurry of web-balls at Haku. Haku retaliated by flipping high into the air, shooting senbon needles at Peter. Peter abandoned his assault in favor of back flipping away into a tree trunk. Haku landed on a branch, and stared once more at Peter. He was forced to move when Peter zipped forward towards the branch he was standing on, and he moved again when Peter shot a line of webbing out to redirect his course.

This plat-by-play continued on for a few minutes, Peter being unable to hit Haku, and Haku being unable to escape Peter. Haku then halted in midair, falling forward. He looked down at his foot, and cursed when he saw that Peter had managed to catch him with a web-line.

With a grunt, Peter whipped the web-line around, aiming at a tree. Suddenly, right before Haku hit it, a figure, another Haku, jumped away from the makeshift weapon's arc. When "Haku" slammed into the tree, "he" shattered into ice. Haku, the real one, didn't even spare his destroyed clone a glance, focusing on creating a dense fog instead.

Peter crouched low as the cold fog surrounded him, severely decreasing his field of vision, "You know Haku, if you wanted to run away, you didn't have to make such an elaborate smokescreen". Peter cartwheeled to the side, avoiding a flurry of needles. "Testy, testy, you'll never get a date if you don't communicate," another cartwheel, "with your words Haku, with your words".

Haku could feel his irritation level rise as Peter tried to goad him on with various insults, _"Who the heck is Bobby?"_ Shaking his head clear, Haku made another ice clone, sending it out to fight Peter. As his clone did that, Haku began the slow work of making a multiple ice mirrors while maintaining the icy fog. _"Thank god there's a river nearby, otherwise this would take way too long"_. Soon after, he heard the distinct breaking of ice, signifying his clone's expiration. With a smirk, Haku released the fog, revealing the ice mirrors that he set up all around Peter.

Peter slowly turned his head side-to-side, "Wow…Does my butt look big in this costume?" Haku almost fell on his face, "I mean, I don't think so, but my reflection on those mirrors, I don't know, makes my belief suspect".

Haku let out an irritable sigh, disappearing into one of the mirrors. He then reappeared in several of them, "Would you find it hard to believe if I said that, when we first met face-to-face in the forest with Naruto, I wanted to sow your mouth shut?"

Peter shrugged, "I'd be insulted if you didn't". Haku just stared at his friend, before beginning to send needles at him from every angle.

Peter was thankful for two things in his life as he almost casually dodged Haku's needle. The first thing, he mused, was that he had a lot of experience (more than he should be comfortable with) dodging machine gun bullets and the occasional laser grid. The second, of course, was his spider-sense, which made it seem as though the needles were moving at a crawl, allowing him to duck and weave with almost zero conscious effort on his part. "As fun as this little dance is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short". Peter leapt high into the air, twisting just enough to squeeze through a gap in Haku's mirror dome. He then swung around the dome, shooting multiple web-balls, covering the exterior in webbing. After that, he soared hisgh in the air, landing in the middle of the dome. He shot out more web-balls, covering up the inner mirrors, until only one was left. He shot out a web-line to that mirror, caught it, and pulled.

Haku was shocked when Peter managed to jump at least 20 feet into the air. That shock increased when Peter then managed to cover the outside and inside of his dome with webbing, preventing easy escape. The shock then turned to alarm when Peter tugged on the one mirror he was currently in, and was actually making it budge. Panicking, Haku shot out of the mirror, dispelling the entire jutsu. Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice that Peter had already shot out a line to catch him. Haku never thought he would know what it felt like to be a caterpillar.

 **Line Break**

"Ugh," Haku pulled at his hair, strands of webbing clumped together at the ends, "Is there any way to get this stuff off?"

Peter chuckled sheepishly, "Well, there is a synthetic compound that causes the webbing to dissolve faster than it does naturally, I just haven't gotten around to making it".

Haku groaned, "How long does it take to dissolve normally?"

"About an hour," another groan, "Peanut butter helps get it out".

Haku glared at Peter, then sighed, "…Do we even have peanut butter?"

Peter clapped him on the shoulder, "Let's find out".

 **Line Break**

Peter had to admit, it was weird not interacting with any of the genin after spending the last couple of weeks bouncing from team to team. For the last few days, Peter and Haku have either been doing D-rank missions, training, or-in Peter's case-developing chemicals and tools that might come in handy (in other news, the scientific advancements, and lack thereof, of this world really through him in a loop. Honestly, radio equipment and movie theaters, but no free cable, absurd).

Peter had just finished dinner, and was currently working on some web-shooters. It had occurred to him that, given his luck, the day would come when his powers would just fail to work for some arbitrary reason, so its better to be safe than sorry (at least this time he also had magic ninja juice to fall back on).

After another hour, he set down his tools, inspecting the gauntlets. After passing inspection, he placed them on his wrists, getting used to the feeling once more.

Haku had entered the living room, a bag of chips in hand "What are those?" he pointed to the shooters.

Peter smirked, and shot out a web-line, stealing the bag of chips, "Web-shooters".

Haku blinked, "…But you can already do that".

Peter nodded, "Yeah, but there is always the possibility that something will happen to somehow keep me from shooting webs, these baby's" he jangled his wrists, "are a good back-up".

Haku shrugged, "Well, if it makes you feel safe". He then heard a window open, "What are you doing?"

Peter looked over his shoulder, "Testing them out, wanna join?"

Haku looked over at the clock, "…Sure, I can waste an hour or two".

Peter smirked, pulling his mask on, "Try to keep up".

Haku laughed, "Oh you are just asking for trouble".

 **Line Break**

Peter was pleased with himself. Though the tech in this world was a little lacking, he had managed to make function web-shooters with rotating cartridges. He just had to be careful to not overextend his wrists; otherwise his natural webbing would try and expel, gunking up the shooters (thankfully he did make that dissolving agent).

Peter landed on a water tank, Haku appearing from a mirror next to him, "How does that work?"

Haku turned to his friend, "Huh?"

Peter gestured to the mirror, which was dissipating, "How do you travel from mirror to mirror".

Haku had to think for a moment, as he never really had to describe his ice mirrors capabilities, "…My mirrors…all connect to a sort of…pocket dimension which I can freely enter and exit at will". Haku was surprised that Peter just nodded, saying that it made sense. "Wait, what," Haku spluttered, "You think that made sense?"

Peter shrugged, "Yeah, of course it does. Hell, not my only experience with pocket dimension. Let me tell you about this one guy-!" Peter interrupted himself, sharply turning his head to the right.

Haku grew worried "What is it Peter?"

Peter sprang forward, "Trouble!"

Haku followed close behind Peter. He soon heard grunts and muted yells, signifying a fight. Peter yelled out, "Hey, what do you think you're doing!"

One of the figures, less bloody than the other, stiffened, then threw down several smoke bombs. Peter growled in annoyance, but ignored the retreating figure in favor of the one left behind.

The man wore what looked like a jonin outfit, with a bandana on his head. He had blood both pouring out from his body and pooling around him. He shakily held a sword in his hands, "Have t-to" he coughed, hacking up blood, "Warn…Hokage-s-sama," the man fainted.

Peter cursed, bending down to pick the man up, "No time to be gentle, Haku!" the boy grunted, "Go get the Hokage, I'm going to bring this guy to the hospital".

"What about the man who ran away?"

"No time," Peter secured the man with some webbing, "Rather this guy live and those two get away". Peter looked over his shoulder, "Be careful!" and then swung towards the hospital.

Haku hurried to the Hokage's office, speeding up his journey by boosting on icy platforms. _"Wait,"_ he thought back on Peter's words, _"I only saw one person run away"_. He ignored that line of thought though, in favor of getting the Hokage as quickly as possible.

 **A/N: The plot thickens. Peter is not only being a grade-A nerd by making himself some web-shooters for paranoia's sake, he also crashed headfirst into a very complicated revenge-scheme. Next chapter will deal with some of the aftermath of saving a dead man. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Pest Control

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter looked up when he heard the doors to the injured man's-Hayate Gekko he'd found out- room open. Haku, the Hokage, and seven people in grey vests and wearing animal masks (granted, five of their ranks were hiding in a combination of shadows and illusions, but Peter could tell where they were) entered. Peter waved, "Hey, so…this is a thing".

The Hokage nodded gravely, "Indeed...How is Hayate?"

Peter shrugged, "Doctor said he lost a lot of blood, but he got here in time to not die". Peter looked over at the resting man, "Right now all he can do is sleep and recover".

The Hokage let out a relieved breath, "Good, at least none of our own are dead".

"Hokage-sama," one of the visible guards, wearing a mask that resembled a hawk, whispered, "Could this be related to," he paused, quickly looking at the two genin in the room, "our pest problem?"

The Hokage sighed, "…undoubtedly". He left it at that, not wanting to bring the two genin into their problem.

Peter raised his hand, "Question," the all present turned to him, and the Hokage said he could speak, "Should me and Haku leave? Cause, not to sound like a brat, but we did stumble right into an attempted murder. And from my experience, people don't like it when they leave someone they tried to kill alive due to someone's interference," he crossed his arms, "I'm just saying".

The Hokage looked down, a contemplative look on his face. He sighed, "…It would be wrong to tell you to ignore this and leave you unprepared". He nodded to one of his guards, who in turn made a blur of handsigns.

Peter felt a buzz in his spider-sense as a sort of barrier encroached the room they were in. The Hokage spoke once more, "Earlier this week, Orochimaru entered our village in disguise".

Haku gasped, "O-Orochimaru! One of the most powerful missing-nin from this village?"

The Hokage nodded, "The same...but he went into hiding before we could capture him. Right now, we can only speculate that he plans to attack the village".

"Well what about his labs?" everyone turned to Peter, "He was kicked out because he experimented on people right? Maybe he's holed up in one of his old haunts?"

The Hokage gave a joyless smirk, "An excellent suggestion, were it not for the fact that I personally oversaw the destruction of all his laboratories in the Land of Fire," he shook his head, "No, he is hiding, and he won't be found so easily".

"I bet I could find him".

All nine (conscious) people in the room whirled their heads to look at Peter. The other bodyguard, wearing what looked like a tiger mask, scoffed, "Don't be so arrogant boy! Orochimaru may be a missing-nin, but he is still one of the Sannin".

Peter nodded, "Yeah, sure, but I can probably find him".

The Hokage shook his head, "I appreciate your enthusiasm to help, but this is over your head Peter".

"No, it's not".

The hawk bodyguard was getting annoyed, "And in what way would you find him?"

"The same way I know you've got five extra men hanging around". The Hokage and his bodyguards-all seven of them-stiffened at his words. "Don't believe me, that's cool," Peter walked to the center of the room, "One's here" he shot out a ball of webbing directly above him, "Another's there," another ball, towards the southeastern corner of the room, "there," this one was a little left of the door, "there" right above Hayate's bed, "And the last guy-sorry, lady-is sticking to the wall right below the window".

Everyone was frozen in shock, none more so than the lady who was hanging out the window. "Im-" the one in the hawk mask sputtered, "Impossible. There is no way you could have…you must be a Hyuuga".

Peter shook his head, "Negatory good buddy".

"But there is no way for you to know...You must have placed some seals around the room that's what informed you of their whereabouts!"

"Um, Hawk," the tiger masked one said, "We did a sweep of the entire building before the Hokage got here, and there were no seals anywhere in the vicinity".

"B-but, how,"

Peter hung his head low, "Alright, how bout this," he took off his mask, and ripped off a piece of cloth from some sheets, "You, pussy-cat" the aforementioned agent blinked, "Are going to tie this around my head, and lead me out the door. After that, all your buddies can spend as much time as they want hiding behind whatever they want. Then I'll come in, with the blindfold still on, and do the exact same thing over again".

The hawk agent growled, "Are you mock-"

The Hokage interrupted him, "Now hold on, I want to see how this works".

The agent clenched his fist, then motioned to his seen associate, "Take the boy outside". He did that. Seconds after closing the door, the other five agents revealed themselves.

"Ugh, god, what is this stuff made out of?"

"Focus!" the hawk agent growled, "We are ANBU, and will not let some genin brat make a fool out of us!"

Haku leaned over to the Hokage, "Is this really okay?"

The Hokage shifted his eyes towards Haku, "…A little levity before a serious situation never harmed anyone". Haku hummed in response.

A good ten minutes of setting up some of the most complicated illusions one could form later, the hawk agent called Peter in. Blindfold still on, Peter didn't even walk to the center of the room before tagging all five agents again.

The Hokage decided to intervene before one of his agent's masks blew up due to overheating, "If you are quite finished," the authority in his voice halted all activity. Looking to Peter, he asked, "What is this ability of yours?"

Peter put his mask back on, "I call it my 'spider-sense'; it's basically precognition, clueing me into potential threats, big and small, that are heading my way".

Haku had a thought, "Wait, is that how you were able to avoid all of my senbon needles?"

Peter pointed to him, "Bingo".

The Hokage hummed in thought, "That sounds like a useful ability," he chuckled, "That bloodline of yours is certainly…versatile".

Peter rubbed the back of his head, "Aw, stop it. You're making me blush".

"And you're sure you can find Orochimaru?"

Peter grunted, "Sure, and anyone else that might be in on whatever he has planned".

The Hokage was silent for a while after that. He then nodded, "Very well then. Peter, I am assigning you an S-rank mission," Peter straightened, "You are to work with my ANBU agents in finding various threats and moles that have managed to infiltrate the village. That includes Orochimaru, but do not engage anyone, and take care not alert the enemy," Peter nodded, giving a salute and an affirmative 'Yes sir!' The Hokage turned to Haku, "I trust you to be silent on the matter".

Haku nodded fervently, "My lips are sealed".

"Good," the Hokage looked to his guards, "Let us retire, and see how Hayate is doing tomorrow morning". He began to leave.

As they were leaving, the door opened to reveal a young man with grey hair, glasses, and a Konoha headband, "Oh! Hokage-sama, I was unaware you were in the building, much less this room," he bowed his head low, "I will return later".

The Hokage smiled, "That is quite alright Kabuto, we were just leaving".

Kabuto smiled in turn, and opened the door wider to let the Hokage pass. He gave a short yelp however, when something attached to his chest, pulling him forward. He only had a second to see the brightly clothed boy pulling a thin white cable before his head slammed to the ground, knocking him out cold.

Peter calmly lifted his head to a wide-eyed audience, "I got one".

 **Line Break**

Kabuto grunted as a fist slammed into his gut. He raised his head to glare at his attacker, and was rewarded by a quick and brutal chop to the neck, forcing him to gasp, spilling the blood that was pooling in his cheeks.

A hand roughly grabbed him by the hair, lifting him up. He squinted as a he looked up at Ibiki Morino, resident torture tactician of Konoha, "Now," Ibiki asked the battered man, "You going to stop giving me lip?"

Kabuto gave him a shaky smirk, spitting blood on the scarred man. Ibiki growled, dropping Kabuto on the ground as he brought out a handkerchief to clean his face. Glaring down at the traitor, Ibiki gave him a swift kick in the gut, eliciting long moan from the now fetal young man.

"Man Ibiki, this is brutal, even for you," another man, Inoichi Yamanaka, entered the room. He took note of the loose teeth, bloody tools, bloodstained Ibiki, and beaten Kabuto.

Ibiki grunted, "If you think this is brutal, wait until I get my hands on the guy that hospitalized Hayate".

Inoichi merely moved closer to Kabuto, "So…how'd he get caught?"

"One of those new genin, Petra I think".

Inoichi smirked, "Peter? Yes, Ino has certainly said a lot about that boy," he looked over to Ibiki; "I noticed the M-RAM (Mind Reading Amplification Machine) was out of commission".

"Yes," Ibiki picked Kabuto up by the neck, "One of your clansmen got a little eager during a session".

"No matter," Inoichi sighed as Kabuto was thrown into a chair, "Sometimes a personal touch is more satisfying. It will take a bit longer," he glared down at Kabuto, "Traitorous scum like him tend to be quite protective of their thoughts".

Ibiki waved a hand, "Take your time, I can always pummel him later".

Smirking, Inoichi walked forward towards Kabuto, and placed a hand on his head. Within seconds, the both of them were unconscious.

 **Line Break**

Inoichi opened his eyes to see a large building surrounded by trees. Inoichi took it all in stride. In his long career, Inoichi had delved into the minds of countless individuals; all or whom had very different 'mindscapes'.

Striding towards the building, he pushed the front door open. It didn't want to budge, but he forced it open anyway. Entering the building revealed a long, dark hallway with countless doors. Sighing, Inoichi crept forward, mindful of any potential traps lying in wait.

As he was delving further into Kabuto's mind, Inoichi failed to notice a formless presence enter with him. _"My,"_ Cassandra thought, _"What an interesting way to traverse ones innermost thoughts"_.

Cassandra knew she had to move quickly, and carefully. Whatever this Orochimaru was planning, it was big, and could potentially lead to a lot of deaths, and a lot of deaths could unravel all of Peter's hard work, setting them back by months, maybe even years.

Still though, this was a dangerous endeavor. Travelling through a newly formed and thin stand was taxing as is, but moving carefully and (relatively) quietly enough to keep from alerting not one, but two separate people that she was there, and risk attack. She sighed, _"Calm yourself Cassandra. Skilled as this man maybe, he is but a child compared to the subtlety of true telepathy"_.

Cassandra then began the slow task of sifting through Kabuto's memories. She automatically ignored his older and more secure ones, opting instead to search for the ones that go back as far as a year. After a few minutes of searching, she was rewarded with a scene depicting Orochimaru giving Kabuto the newest codes to use for their meetings and letters, specifically regarding their assault on Konoha.

'Smirking' in triumph, she shifted the set of memoires closer to Inoichi, and left the mindscape.

Inoichi was beginning to get antsy. Already he had faced numerous traps that, if he were an inexperienced mind-delver, would have caused him to enter vegetative state the moment he neared them. That said, he was able to confirm that Kabuto has been meeting with Orochimaru on a regular basis, and that Sunagakure was planning an attack with the aid of Orochimaru. But he had yet to find anything that could help convince Suna and Orochimaru that everything was still on track.

He moved to another door, and cautiously turned the doorknob. As no trap activated, Inoichi opened the door, fully, and smiled with glee once he saw the memories.

 **Line Break**

Inoichi and Kabuto both groaned lightly as the jutsu came undone. Kabuto then sent Inoichi a smug smirk, confident that he hadn't found anything. That smug look soon turned into fear and disbelief as Inoichi pulled out a pen and some paper, writing down the message 'Not so happy now huh dirtbag?' in the code he and Orochimaru had developed some months back.

Inoichi put the pen and paper away, "So long Ibiki, got to report to the Hokage".

Ibiki nodded, "Of course. Oh, Inoichi," the man looked over his shoulder, "Tell your wife that new fertilizer works perfectly. The aconitum look better than ever".

Inoichi smirked, "I will". He closed the door behind him.

Ibiki turned to Kabuto, who had steeled his nerves once more, "Now, where were we?"

 **A/N: Soon the villages of Sound, Leaf and Sand will come to a clash. Man, that will be fun to write. Anyway, next chapter will deal with some of the aftermath of the second part of the chunin exams. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Sincerity Is An Oft Underused Sentiment

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter was walking towards the hospital the next morning to see if Hayate had woken up. Entering the building he met the Hokage once more. "Hello," he greeted the man and his guards.

The Hokage inclined his head, "Peter. Where is Haku?"

"Wanted to stay home, digest the possibility that we all might die".

The Hokage chuckled, "I suppose that he did learn a lot last night," he started to walk, "Come, Hayate is awake, and we need to learn what he knows".

They walked in silence, and paused as they heard voices coming from Hayate's room.

"Now, I brought all your medicine from home, and remember to-" a feminine voice said.

Another voice, presumably Hayate's, cut her short, "Take it after every meal, yadda-*cough*-yadda. I'm injured Yugao, not mentally impaired".

The woman, Yugao, huffed, "Says you. Honestly, I leave you for one moment and you manage to get yourself hospitalized".

"Better than the morgue". Yugao and Hayate turned toward the now open door, and Peter blinked, "Sorry, was that rude. Don't want to interrupt any sort of…moment".

Yugao blushed a bit, and Hayate smirked, "Well, these hospital gowns are easy to take off".

Yugao's blush deepened, "Hayate!"

The Hokage, who was off to the side, chuckled, "Good to see you are feeling well enough to tease people Hayate".

Now Hayate was as red as his girlfriend, "H-Hokage-sama. Forgive me, I-uh"

The Hokage held up a hand, "Calm down. You were spending time with someone you love after a brush with death," he let out a wistful smile, "I would not deny you that. Now however, we need to discuss business".

Hayate and Yugao nodded. They smiled to each other, "I'll come back before lunch".

He coughed into his hand, "Be sure to bring something juicy, hospital food sucks". They smiled, and shared a brief kiss. Yugao then exited the room, bowing to the Hokage as she left.

Peter, who was watching the couple, felt a faint twinge in his heart. He let out a deep sigh, "…Nice girl".

Hayate's smile widened, "The best. Not many-*cough*-people out there willing to put up with me and my, uh, needs". He then frowned, looking over to the Hokage, "I assume you need a description of the two men that tried to kill me".

"Actually, just one of them," Hayate blinked in surprise, "Peter caught one of the men, Kabuto, when he tried to kill you last night".

"Oh," Hayate turned to Peter, "Thank you, for saving me twice in one night".

Peter waved a hand, "Don't mention it, let's just focus on saving the village".

Hayate nodded, "Right," he looked over to the Hokage, a serious expression on his face, "The second man is the Jonin instructor from Suna, Baki".

The Hokage stiffened, "What?"

Hayate nodded gravely, "Yes, it seems that Suna has aligned itself with Orochimaru to attack Konoha".

The Hokage stroked his beard, "…This is grave news…it is true that Suna has been receiving less money as of late, but I hadn't thought…" he heaved a great sigh, "No matter. The most important thing is that we protect the innocent civilians. Hayate," the man nodded, "For the time being you are to stay hidden. We are already in the middle of fooling our enemies into thinking nothing is wrong, and in order for it to stay that way you must not be seen. After you are healed, you will be moved to a secure location and be put under house arrest".

Hayate nodded, "Of course. So long as I-*cough*-will be able to train. I owe that bastard Baki some well placed slices".

The Hokage nodded, "Peter," the boy inclined his head, and "At precisely 1100 hours you are to head over to my office, there you will receive a list of locations to report your findings every two hours to an ANBU operative".

Peter gave a salute, "Right-o. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go, uh, 'take in the sight' as it were".

 **Line Break**

As Peter was exiting the hospital, he heard a familiar, slightly subdued, voice, "Come now Lee! Soon you shall be better than ever!"

Curious, Peter followed the voice. Upon reaching the room where the voice originated, he knocked on the door, "Lee, Gai, you guys in there?"

Gai then opened the door, a bright, though not entirely happy smile on his face, "Peter! Come to give your youthful support to Lee?"

Peter quirked a lens, "What?"

Gai lost his smile, "Right…you weren't at the exams".

"Peter, why are you here?" Peter past Gai's body to answer Lee, and gulped at the boy's state.

He was lying in bed, his body covered in bandages, his legs set in casts. Peter tried to speak, "Uh…Wh…What the hell…?"

Lee plastered a fake smile on his face, "It is nothing Peter. Just some injuries I sustained during the exams".

Peter walked over to Lee, "Yeah…sure. Who did this to you?"

Lee's smile dipped a bit, "A…skilled young man from Suna named Gaara".

"Gaara…" Peter put a hand on his chin, "…Creepy red-head with a gourd and tattoo on his forehead?" Gai and Lee nodded solemnly, "Well…you'll get better".

Lee's eyes widened at the sincerity in Peter's voice, "Peter…my legs are shattered, at best the doctor's can fix them so I can walk with crutches…my life as a shinobi is over," Lee hung his head low.

Peter just shook his head, "I've seen people walk away from much, much worse. Like, 'by all means I should be dead worse'. Trust me, one way or another, you'll be back up to snuff".

Gai let out a hearty laugh, "YOSH! THAT IS THE YOUTHFUL SPIRIT PETER! LEE! I SWEAR TO YOU THAT ONE DAY SOON, YOUR LEGS SHALL BE HEALED! AND THEN, TO CELEBRATE, WE SHALL RUN AS FAR AS OUR LEGS WILL CARRY US AND BACK!"

Lee's eyes started to water. He sniffled as he wiped some tears away, "…Thank you for your kind words Peter…Gai-sensei".

Peter chuckled, walking out the door, "Happy to help".

 **Line Break**

" _Poor Lee, isn't easy to heal from broken legs…still though, ninja magic"_. Peter walked towards the exit when, once again, something caught his attention, this time it was an open door.

He frowned as he moved closer, and saw a familiar head of blue hair, lying on the bed, covered in bandages. There were five people there: one young girl, a man with fancy white robes, and three other men in ninja gear. Based on their pupil less eyes, Peter guessed they were Hyuuga, and therefore Hinata's family.

"Oh come on, are those promotions really worth it?" He gulped when six sets of pupil less zeroed in on him, "…Am I interrupting family time?"

The man in fancy robes eyed Peter. He then stood up, turning to Hinata, "As soon as you are able, you are to return to the estate".

Hinata, who was staring wide-eyed at Peter, turned to her father. Flinching at his stone-cold eyes, she lowered her head, "Y-yes father".

The man sniffed, "Come Hanabi". He, rather gracefully, walked towards the door.

The girl, Hanabi as Peter just found out, turned to Hinata. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She hovered between leaving and staying. A sharp command from (who Peter assumed to be) her father made her choose to former.

Peter sidestepped out of the way of the entourage. After they left, Peter turned to Hinata, "Geez, how long are those poles?" Hinata tilted her head at the remark. Peter blinked, "Er, you know, poles, up their butts…cause they're so uptight…and stuff". An awkward silence entered the room. "…Moving on, what's up with you, why are you at the hospital".

Hinata gulped, "W-well, i-it is j-just some injuries I-I sustained from t-the p-preliminaries. It i-is no b-big worry".

Peter gave her a blank stare, "You're in the hospital, I call that a big worry". He moved to her bed, picking up the medical report hanging from the wall. His lenses widened in shock as he read the report, "Jeez louise, what did you do, steal someone's lunch money?" He read on. He narrowed his lenses as he finished reading, but before he could ask Hinata about who had brutalized her, the door opened.

"Peter," Kurenai looked on in mild surprise, "I didn't know you were visiting Hinata".

Peter put down the medical report, "Oh, yeah…Darn it," he smacked the top of his head, "I forgot the flowers, silly me". He walked over to Kurenai, "Could help me pick some out, mmkay thanks," Kurenai didn't have time to blink before Peter pulled her away from the door.

Rounding a corner, Peter whirled around to a bewildered Kurenai, "What the hell happened during those exams!" he hissed.

Kurenai sighed, "Hinata participated in a preliminary match and was injured…it happens".

"Don't feed me that bullshit," Kurenai blinked at the Peter's language, "She was hit so hard her entire body started hemorrhaging. Not to mention the fact that her heart was practically black and blue!" He took a calming breath, "Now, who did that to her?"

Kurenai stared long and hard at Peter. "…It was Neji".

Peter recoiled at the news, "What? But why…" he shook his head, "Okay, start from the beginning, and don't leave anything out".

So, Kurenai told Peter of what occurred when the Chunin Exam proctors realized that there were too many genin that passed the second test. Of how Shino, Sasuke, Temari, Kankuro, Naruto (Peter snorted when he heard how the blonde won), a genin from Otogakure (a new village) named Dosu, and Neji advanced to the final test. She told him how Neji started a tirade against the Main Branch of the Hyuuga clan during his fight with Hinata, and of how Naruto swore to avenge her when they faced in a month.

Peter paced as Kurenai told the story. When she finished, Pete sighed. He then began to walk away. Kurenai asked him, "Where are you going?"

Without looking back, Peter responded, "To have a chat with a buddy of mine".

As Peter exited the building, Cassandra spoke in his head, _"Peter, don't do something drastic"_.

Peter scoffed, _"Drastic? Me? Cassandra, please, you underestimate me"_. Cassandra merely hummed in thought.

 **Line Break**

Neji silently inspected his supplies. He had asked Tenten to help him train for his upcoming match. Not that he needed to, Naruto was fated to lose of course. He just wanted to rub it in the Main Brach's face by beating the loud fool with one of their 'secret' techniques.

"Hey bud, let's have a chat". Neji whirled around, kunai in hand, but something hit his hand, sticking it to the table. "Now, now," Neji followed the voice to the ceiling, "No need for those messy things". He glared at Peter as the costumed youth crawled down the wall of his room.

"What do you want?" Neji ground out.

Peter shrugged, propping himself up on the wall, "A few things actually. A rich and fulfilled life, two months advanced pay, some chicken for dinner, an explanation for why you beat the ever-loving crap out of your cousin".

Neji sniffed imperiously, "She is a pathetic being from a poisoned clan, she received what was due to her".

Peter chuckled at that, and spoke in a sugary sweet tone that creeped Neji out, "I get, really, I do. You lost your dad long ago to some arbitrary bureaucratic nonsense and want to let the world know, that's cool. Hell, one could even say that it's justified. I certainly wouldn't stop you," Peter dropped the fake tone, sending shivers down Neji's spine, "But I draw the line at attempted murder".

Looking up at Peter, Neji noted how…menacing he looked. The way he hunched and contorted up the wall, how his costume seemed to expand and pulse along with his muscles, those unblinking, unfeeling lenses that seemed to stare right into the soul. Neji barely repressed a shudder.

Peter clicked his tongue as he hopped down on the ground, "Now, I could do something stupid like beat it into your head that taking your anger out on people is wrong, but I won't, for a few reasons. One, I'd be a hypocrite. Two, I don't want to have to pay for your dental. Three, it will be much more satisfying to see Naruto wipe the floor with you".

Neji grew incredulous at the third remark. He snorted, "That boy is fated to lose, he shares the same fate as Hinata".

Peter chuckled once more, opening a nearby window, "Says you. In my experience, when someone swears to do something on the honor of a friend, they usually succeed". He looked back at Neji one more time, "Later," and shot out the window.

Neji growled at the boy's retreating form, and grabbed a shuriken to remove the webbing from his hand. It would only dawn on him late that night that Peter had managed to both enter and exit the Hyuuga estate without raising any alarms.

 **Line Break**

Peter groaned at the feeling of his back popping. He'd been swinging around the village all day finding potential threats. And on top of that, in order to maintain a proper cover, he had to move crates and other such heavy objects around as he swung around. All in all, he would be happy to get some nice uninterrupted sleep. He then stopped and snapped his fingers; "I really should have gotten Hinata and Lee a 'get-well' gift…I'll do it tomorrow".

As he was walking home, he heard the telltale sound of Naruto's excited voice. Turning a corner revealed the blonde, but he was not alone. No, he was with a man, an older, tall man with a veritable man of white hair in a red vest, green shirt and pants, and wooden sandals rounding out his outfit.

Naruto saw Peter and waved, "Hey Peter! You'll never guess what I did today!"

"Does it have anything to do with one of this village's more famous shinobi?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Peter sighed, "Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin".

Naruto just crossed his arms with a grumble, "You mean ero-sennin".

"What?"

Naruto pointed a finger at the man, "This guy's a damn pervert".

Jiraiya groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you gaki, I'm not a pervert," Suddenly, smoke appeared out of nowhere, and Jiraiya was suddenly atop a giant orange toad. Both of them struck a pose, "I'm a Super Pervert!"

Silence followed the spectacle. Then, Peter started a very slow clap, "Must say, don't know many people who actually own up to that, kudos".

Jiraiya smirked, sending the toad away in a puff of smoke, "Well, at least someone appreciates my efforts. Maybe I should train you instead".

Naruto shouted at the smirking man, "Hey! You promised to train me for the Exams!"

"Oh, he's helping you for your fight with Neji?" Naruto nodded. "Good, be sure to kick his ass, for Hinata's sake at least".

Naruto looked over at Peter, and after a brief moment, gave him a wide, eyes-closed smile, "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to! I'm the guy that's going to become Hokage! No way I can lose to a jerk like Neji!"

Peter clapped him on the back, "That's the spirit".

"Well said kid." Jiraiya nodded in approval, "Now if you'll excuse me," the man's face grew sleazy, "I have some research to do".

Peter quirked a lens, "Research?"

Naruto sighed, "He peeps in on the women's bath".

Peter was nonplussed, "Wait what?" He looked over at Jiraiya, then started rub his left index finger over his right index "Shame, I know you're old, but that's no excuse for being a peeping tom".

Jiraiya took offence to that, "How dare you! I'll have you know that I need to research in order to write my hit 'Icha Icha' novels".

Peter paused, "Wait…you write that stuff?" Jiraiya plastered a proud smirk on his face, "Wow…you know it's actually pretty good, the attention to detail anyway, plot's pretty weak".

Jiraiya shrugged, "Well, deep, intrinsic plots aren't a strong sui-hold on, you've read my books?" a nod, "…but you're a kid".

"Says you".

Jiraiya stared wide-eyed at the boy, then let out a hearty laugh, "HAHAHA! I'm liking you more and more Peter!"

 **Line Break**

Baki was glad for all those years of training in espionage, otherwise he would be sweating like a virgin in a brothel. He let that man in the bandana get away without confirming he was dead. On top of that, he was forced to tell the Kazekage's children about the invasion plan, and Gaara immediately grew excited at the prospect of spilling so much blood, so he was going to be even harder to keep in check.

He had just entered a restaurant where the mole, Kabuto, would drop off messages if they couldn't meet for large lengths of time.

He sat down at the bar and ordered some sake, forcing himself to remain calm. He knew that if he messed up the invasion plans, his head would roll faster than he could blink. He had to repress the urge to shudder.

Soon, his drink was brought to him. He asked for the bartender to leave the bottle, and poured himself a glass. Three drinks later, someone bumped into him, spilling some sort of drink all over his back. With a growl, he turned around, and noted that it was Kabuto, who was quick to put up the scared newbie act. "I'm terribly sorry sir," Kabuto held up his hand in front of him, "I'll be sure to clean that up".

Baki had to make sure this wasn't a trick. He grabbed the neckline of his shirt, "And?"

Kabuto gulped, "And…pay for your dry-cleaning?"

"Hmph," Baki snorted, it was the real deal, he'd used the correct code-phrase, "not good enough".

"Hey," the bartender interrupted them, "Start throwing punches and I'll throw both of you out on your asses".

Baki grunted, dropping Kabuto and pulling out some cash, "I'm done anyway".

After walking back to the inn he was staying at, he activated his privacy seals. He pulled out a slip of paper Kabuto had slipped into his pocket. It read, 'They suspect nothing, the plan continues on schedule'. Baki let out a sigh of relief.

 **A/N: Konoha has begun its counter-defense against the joint invasion of Sand and Sound. How successful that will end up has yet to be seen. Also, Peter's more than a little ticked off at Neji at the moment, but is willing to pass the 'knocking sense' stick onto Naruto. He also reads porn…I mean; he's technically old enough. Be sure to leave a review. Later**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Let's Get This Over With.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter silently checked his web-shooters as Haku was making several needles out of ice and storing them for later use. Haku sighed, "So, today's the day huh?"

Peter nodded, putting the shooters on, "Yup, today's the day everything goes to hell. Makes sense if you think about it, all those people kept close together, not paying attention to what's going on around them".

Haku smirked, grabbing his mask, "But thanks to you, we're going to avoid major casualties".

Peter chuckled, putting on his own mask, "Here's hoping".

 **Line Break**

Peter tapped his foot as he looked out at the Exam finalists, or rather, tried to find all of them. He cursed, "Where are they?"

Asuma looked over at Peter, "Who?"

"Kakashi and Sasuke. I know the man's got a propensity to be late, but this is ridiculous".

Haku hummed in thought, "…I'm sure they're fine".

Peter shook his head, "In case you forgot, Sasuke got the mother of all hickey's from what may be the world's creepiest pedophilic reptile".

Gai nodded his head, "Perhaps the seal has acted up".

Kurenai, also nearby, quickly hushed Peter and Gai, "Quiet! Not in front of the other genin". The five of them shifted their eyes to the other genin; and to their relief, they were too focused on the upcoming matches to pay any attention to them.

"Besides," Kurenai whispered, "It's probably for the best. The longer Gaara can be kept from fighting, the more extra time we have to ensure nothing goes wrong".

"Or, like psychopaths are wont to do, he can start killing everyone right now". They all looked at Peter, who shrugged, "I'm just saying".

Asuma quieted any further talk, "It's starting".

 **Line Break**

Hiruzen gazed on with pride as Naruto was managing hold his own against Neji Hyuuga, arguably the most skilled genin of their generation (barring Peter and Haku).

"Hmmm, they are certainly skilled".

Hiruzen resisted the urge to glare at the man sitting next to him "Yes. Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga, two genin of extraordinary caliber".

"Indeed…Of course, they do spend a lot of time waxing on about philosophy, not exactly the qualities one should have on the field of battle".

Hiruzen had to admit; the man (despicable he may be) had a point. During the fight, Naruto and Neji thought it wise to spend a long time speaking about fate and how the certainty (or lack thereof) of it. In all honesty, Hiruzen thought that airing the dirty laundry that was the now dubbed "Hyuuga Incident" was a foolish move through and through. "Yes…if anything, it will hurt Neji the most come scoring".

The man hummed in thought, "And the boy, Neji, is certainly not an expert strategist. He does not seem to think ahead, content on reacting to Naruto's provocations; although Naruto himself is at least planning in some form or another".

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, and would have said more, were it not for a familiar chakra seeping into the air. He quickly turned his gaze to Naruto, _"He can access the Kyuubi's chakra?!"_

 **Line Break**

All in attendance were in awe as Naruto shot up from the ground and delivered a devastating uppercut to Neji. Peter let out a low whistle, "You're boyfriend's certainly an interesting guy Hinata".

Hinata was unresponsive, simply admiring how far Naruto had come to beat her cousin, the prodigy. When she finally registered Peter's words, she grew crimson, "B-B-Boyfriend?" she squeaked.

Peter smirked, "Well yeah, Kiba told me how you two met up before the fight. Give him 'encouragement' before his big match". Hinata started to steam as she imagined just what kind off 'encouragement' Peter was insinuating. It became too much, and she fainted on the spot, blood trickling from her nose.

Peter did not take that well, "Oh god I killed her!"

Kurenai waved him off, "Calm down, she just fainted from all your teasing". Peter let out a sigh of relief.

 **Line Break**

Shino lowered his face into his collar as Kankuro forfeited their match.

"Hey, cheer up!" Shino looked up at Naruto, "You'll get to show off your moves soon!"

Shikamaru groaned, "I'm with Shino on this one…I was really hoping to rest some more before my match".

Naruto grinned, "Oh yeah! What are you waiting for?" He smacked Shikamaru on the back, causing the lazy boy to fall to the arena floor.

As Shikamaru was cursing Naruto's name, he heard an annoyed voice, "Are we going to fight now or what?"

He looked up at his opponent, _"Agh, this is too troublesome"_.

 **Line Break**

Peter was laughing so hard he felt like he was going to hack up a lung. Seeing the irate look of Ino as she complained about Shikamaru's lack of motivation only made his hysteria increase.

"Peter," Haku looked on in concern, "It isn't that funny".

"Says-BWAHAHA-says you". Peter took a deep breath, "Did you-*snicker*-see the look on that girl's face. HAHAHA, man, too good, too good".

He stopped laughing however, when leaves swirled in the center of the arena. After gathering in a large bunch, they dispersed to reveal Kakashi and Sasuke. Kakashi gave the crowd a cheeky grin, "Sorry we're late".

Peter snorted, and would have started laughing again, were it not for the intense blaring of his spider-sense. He quickly swiveled his head towards the threat, and gulped at the manic look Gaara was sporting. He leaned over to the jonin sensei, "You guys might wanna get ready to move. Gourdy looks about ready to blow". Following his gaze, Asuma decided that yes, they should, and sent some discreet hand signals to a nearby ANBU operative. Now all they could do was wait for the inevitable.

 **Line Break**

Peter had to admit, Sasuke had certainly improved, and the Gaara guy was certainly impressive. _"Wonder who would win between him and Marko?"_

All present looked on in confusion as Gaara formed an orb of sand around his body, and grew spikes out of it to attack Sasuke. That confusion compounded when he leapt onto a nearby wall and held his right arm, and started to charge chakra into it.

Something clicked in Peter's mind. He looked over to Kakashi "Hey, didn't you do that back in Wave country?"

Haku recognized the technique as well; "Yes…you almost killed me with that".

Kakashi shrugged in a 'what can you do' manner. Gai then told them, "It is called Chidori, or Raikiri if you prefer a flashy name. It's the only technique Kakashi ever created on his own. Charging chakra into your arms turns into a blade of lightning, the ultimate cutting tool".

The genin were all in awe at the description of the technique. Haku then waved his hand, "How much does it hurt?"

Kakashi thought for a moment, "Depending on the distance I can get, quite a lot".

Haku hummed in thought, then turned to Peter, "I never did thank you for saving my life did I?" Peter chuckled.

 **Line Break**

Hiruzen watched in breathless wonder as Sasuke pierced through Gaara's sand barrier. If the circumstances were lighter, he would be beaming in pride over how far all his genin had come.

He soon frowned however, when Gaara started to scream in agony. To his shock, a large claw made of sand tried to grab Sasuke, who (though he had escaped unharmed) was frozen in shock.

He then saw several different shinobi stand up and do a hand sign. Then his own shinobi stood up and countered their genjutsu. That was his cue.

In the blink on an eye, he stood up and landed a solid blow in his 'companions' gut, (who was too bewildered to take notice of Hiruzen, wondering instead why no one was falling asleep) and crashed into a wall. He saw the man's guards move to protect their boss, but his own guards quickly cut them down. He tore off his robes to reveal his old armor, and charged at his foe once more, who managed to dodge out of the way. Hiruzen smirked at shocked and slighlty worried look in the man's eyes, "They do not call me the 'God of Shinobi' for nothing. You'd think after all those years that would mean something, Orochimaru!"

The man stiffened, then started to laugh. He pulled off his attire, revealing a pale white man with black hair, and yellow, snake-like eyes. "Hehehe, I'll admit, this sets things back a bit, however," he pulled out a switch, "It changes nothing!" He pushed the button, and several large snakes poofed into existence around Konoha, as well as shinobi from Otogakure.

Hiruzen charged Orochimaru once more, and once more his old student dodged out of the way. Orochimaru barked out, "Sound Four, N-OOF!" Orochimaru was cut off a furry fist punched him in the jaw, bouncing him to another roof. He got up, snarling at Enma, Hiruzen's personal summon.

The Monkey King glared in turn, "Are you finally going to kill this bastard like I told you to long ago?"

Hiruzen sighed, "Yes, I have resigned myself to that course of action".

Enma nodded, "Good, don't hold back". He then transformed into a black staff with a puff of smoke, falling into Hiruzen's hands.

Orochimaru's snarl intensified, _"Why have the Sound Four not set up the barrier?!"_

"Your underlings are preoccupied my former student". Orochimaru stiffened at his words, "They are currently surrounded by ANBU, and you won't trap me as you had hoped".

Orochimaru's eyes reddened in rage. With an angry roar, he released a snake from his mouth, and from its mouth pulled out his Sword of Kusanagi, "No matter! I can deal with you myself!"

 **Line Break**

Peter snapped his legs out at another pair of enemy Shinobi, "Was it really a good idea to send out those three after the crazy sand monster?"

Haku bent low under a savage haymaker, sending needles into his attackers chest, "They will be fine".

Peter sidestepped a sword swing, "Still though," he shot his arm out, knocking his opponent into a wall, "Shouldn't we back them up?"

Haku shimmered away, reappearing behind five shinobi, jamming needles into their spines, paralyzing them, "No, we have our orders. As the fastest genin we are to go around and help out where we can".

Peter webbed up half a dozen foes, "Yeah, yeah". He turned his head to see how close those giant snakes were, and saw that they were locked in combat with an equally giant frog. "…I'm gonna check out that situation". Peter shot out a web-line, swinging away.

Haku grunted, stabbing two more Sound-nin in the shoulders, "Take care!"

 **Line Break**

Genma Shiranui considered himself to be a calm, rational man. That said; Baki's liberal use of wind blades was really getting on his nerves.

"Geez…can't really get close can I?"

Baki smirked, then cried out in pain as he was stabbed in the abdomen, "Well Genma-*cough*-that's why you have to go for the back".

Baki, pained, turned his head towards the sickeningly familiar voice. His pupils shrunk at the sight of the man he was told died in the hospital. "H-How?"

Hayate smirked, "Now wouldn't that be telling". He wrenched his sword free from the man's gut, and Baki fell to the ground clutching his bleeding stomach.

Hayate looked on in satisfaction, not even reacting to a nearby Suna-nin running towards him. Unfortunately for the nameless jobber, he was cut down by an ANBU agent with purple hair. Yugao looked down at the feeble Baki, "Didn't kill him?"

Hayate shrugged, "Ibiki said he wanted-*cough*-a crack at him".

Genma's shouting caught their attention "Hey! You two can flirt later, we have invaders that need to be dealt with".

Hayate smirked, and bowed to his girlfriend, "After you milady".

 **Line Break**

Peter was actually glad that he had spent so much of his life fighting the Lizard down in sewers of New York, otherwise the stench of Toad and Snake would really give him a headache.

Following his spider-sense, he saw one of the snakes sneaking up behind a teal colored toad wielding two swords against another, slighlty larger snake. Grunting, Peter stopped swinging, and shot out two web-lines onto nearby buildings. He ran backwards, greatly increasing the tension on the thin cables. After making sure he was in line, he hopped off the ground, rocketing forward towards the snake.

 **Line Break**

" _Sure am glad that Peter kid is a great sensor-type,"_ he shot off another fireball at an approaching snake, forcing it to flee, _"Otherwise this would be a lot messier"_.

He tensed as his battle-honed senses warned him of an oncoming threat. He quickly turned around, and saw a giant snake heading towards him and his summon, jaws wide-open. He cursed, "Hiro! Behind us!"

His summon, in the middle of fighting a snake with some impressive natural armor, turned around, one sword out, but he could tell he was a little late to prevent some damage.

To both their surprise however, a reddish blur slammed into the snake's throat, sending it crashing towards the ground, where it vanished in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya could barely blink before that same blur landed on Gamahiro, "Hey, how's it going?

Jiraiya (and the rest of the summons) gawked at the boy. Then Jiraiya remembered he was in the middle of a battle, and shot of a fireball at a nearby snake, restarting the conflict, "Uh, not much. This is honestly not as bad as it could be".

Peter chuckled, webbing up the maw of a snake that got a little to close for comfort, "Well I, for one, am on top of a giant green toad dual-wielding swords fighting giant snakes alongside the author of a highly successful pornographic book series…Cross that one off my bucket list".

Jiraiya let out a booming laugh, "Well at least you know how to have fun!" He then grew pensive, "Still though, I am worried about sensei, he's not the same man he was years ago, but I can't just leave and let these summons go wild".

Peter hummed in thought, "Not to mention the fact that Naruto and a bunch of children are going over to fight a sand demon".

They looked at each other. Peter pointed towards the village, "I'm going to go check on the old man".

Jiraiya nodded, "I'll head over to Naruto when I'm done here".

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru was growing more and more livid. His Sound Four had managed to escape their opponents, but he was being forced on the move in combination of his old sensei and explosive tags on the roofs of various buildings. _"Hmmm…I need a large flat space at the very least…perhaps-!"_ his train of though was derailed as he narrowly avoided a pair of feet to the face.

Peter flipped up in the air, landing next to Hiruzen, "What I miss?"

"Peter, it is too dangerous for you to be here! Leave now!" Hiruzen barked at the boy.

Peter shook his head, "That's a no-no boss man, it'll go by faster if we take him down together".

Hiruzen was about to yell at the boy to leave for his own sake, but stopped as he got a good look at Peter. His stance, his mostly undamaged costume, the fact that he was in the presence of two powerful shinobi out to kill each other and he confidently stood his ground. Hiruzen got the impression of a battle-hardened veteran rather than a cocksure, if skilled, genin. He sighed, "…Follow my lead" he leapt forward.

Peter grinned beneath his mask, "With pleasure!"

Orochimaru grunted as the boy leapt after him as well, but simply turned around and sped forward, sending quick handsignals to his Sound Four. The pursuit ended at a large plaza in the center of the village. He turned to meet his opponents, still a distance away "Yes, this will do nicely," he gripped his sword in his teeth, and went through a flurry of handsigns. Peter and Hiruzen landed just as Orochimaru finished his jutsu. Slamming his hand to the ground, he summoned up one large stone coffin, and then another. He waited for a third, but none appeared, _"Damn…oh well, not that big a loss"_.

Hiruzen stiffened in shock as he saw the coffins, and sent a flurry of shuriken and kunai at them. Peter would have assisted, but paused when he felt four people surround them. To his surprise, instead of attacking, they formed a large purple cage around them. Peter turned to two of them, a girl with light pink hair and a guy with what looked like two heads, and shot out web-lines to try and disrupt the barrier. He cursed as another barrier formed, this time around the four guards, protecting them from harm. Peter felt a large buzz from his spider-sense, and turned to the two coffins, which had opened. Peter's eyes widened in shock, "…Ah hell". Standing in front of them were the first and second Hokage's of Konohagakure, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju.

Tobirama lifted his head at Hiruzen and Peter, "…Is that you Saru?"

His brother hummed in thought "…You got old".

Peter let out a breathy chuckle, "Yeah well, you two are supposed to be dead".

Tobirama looked at his arms, "Yes, it would appear that he," he jabbed a finger at Orochimaru, "used Edo Tensei to revive us…and to fight you it would seem".

Hashirama hung his head low, "Years pass, and yet there is still much conflict in this world".

Orochimaru chuckled, "As fun as it is to watch you geezers talk," he stuck two kunai into the revived Kages' heads, causing their bodies, crackled and pale, to heal and gain a healthy color. Their eyes grew dull, complacent. Orochimaru face turned savage, "It'd be more entertaining watch your face writhe as your old masters kill you!"

Peter clenched his fists as Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation, "All right, this is messed up, even by my standards".

Hiruzen glared at Orochimaru, "Making tools of those that have past…you truly are beyond redemption".

Enma's head appeared from the staff, "Well then, let's crack his skull open already".

Peter stared wide-eyed at Enma, "…Did your-what is that, ironwood?-staff just grow a furry head?"

The monkey grunted, "My name is Enma boy. And the staff is made out of Adamantine, not wood".

Peter blinked, and narrowed his lenses, "…I don't know what that is, but its not Adamantine".

Enma gave him an odd look, "What are you talking about".

Peter was about to respond, but the buzz of his spider-sense suggested otherwise, "We'll talk later". He turned his gaze to Hiruzen, "So, I take the zombies, you tackle the pale pedophile".

Hiruzen spared a glance in Peter's direction, "…Can you handle it?"

Peter clicked his tongue, "Allow me to show you some of the things that gave me the moniker 'Amazing'.

They both shot forward towards their three foes. Tobirama went through a flurry of signs, and large spikes of water shot their way. Peter jumped and twirled out of the way of the projectiles, while Hiruzen instead chose to barrel through, using his staff to deflect them. Hashirama was busy too, and when he finished, trees burst forth from the ground.

Peter yelped as he twisted around to avoid a particularly pointy branch. Looking around, he noted that Hiruzen had managed to form a barrier out of his staff. He sighed in relief, and turned toward Hashirama and Tobirama, who had landed in front of him, "…I remember a time when zombies were just shambling piles of meat". The brothers ran forward, sending a flurry of blows towards Peter, which he dodged, deflected, and misdirected as need.

Further into the trees, Hiruzen was once engaged in a deadly dance with Orochimaru. Fortunately for him, the previous chase across the village was beginning to show its work, as Orochimaru was blocking more blows than dodging them.

Orochimaru snarled, "Give it up old man! You are far past your prime, and I am in the middle of truly enjoying mine".

Hiruzen barked back, "On the blood and tears of countless innocents you murdered for your twisted desires!"

Orochimaru replied with a twisted smile, "And yet, which on of us will live to see tomorrow?"

Enma chose that moment to kick Orochimaru in the gut, allowing Hiruzen to spin the staff around, sending Orochimaru flying into a tree. Hiruzen then let out a small grunt of pain as his left arm started to seize up. He looked down, and saw that Orochimaru had managed to plant a long cut through his armor.

Crashing sounds made him turn his head, and then quickly jump out of the way as Peter, followed almost immediately by Tobirama and Hashirama, tumbled out of the branched in a mass of punches, kicks, and grunts.

Peter let out an 'oof' as he landed on his back, but sprung up quickly, kicking Tobirama in the chest, and snagging Hashirama with a webline, sending both of them crashing some feet away.

Peter landed in a crouch next to Hiruzen, "So, I-completely on accident mind you-punched tree-hugger's arm off, and it grew right back, what do we do about that".

Hiruzen chose to ignore the disrespectful nickname, "Edo Tensei allows the summoned bodies to regenerate from ash and dust; they cannot be stopped like normal foes".

"So what, we just knock out yellow-eyes?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "Unfortunately, the summoner must willingly release the jutsu…although…" he trailed off in thought.

Peter felt his stomach drop, "…What are you planning?"

Hiruzen clenched his fists, then looked over at Peter a hard glint in his eyes, "How long do you think you can hold the three of them off?"

Peter shrugged, "Long enough," he looked over at the three foes, regaining their bearings, "What do you need?"

Hiruzen sighed, and adopted a meditative pose, his staff forming a barrier around him, "I need to gather up enough chakra to summon a being that should be able to help us, the Shinigami".

Peter blanched, "…Well, you look like you know what you're doing…wish me luck," he bound towards Orochimaru and the resurrected Kage.

Enma's head formed next to Hiruzen, "Was that wise, sending the boy to face three powerful opponents on his own?"

Hiruzen smirked, "…There is more to 'the boy' than meets the eye old friend, I am confidant he will pull through".

" _Don't think about dying, don't think about dying,"_ Peter repeated this mantra as he jumped from branch to branch to face his opponents.

Orochimaru smirked, "Has Hiruzen really gotten so old that he needs to send out a child to fight his battles". He flicked his head towards the boy, and Tobirama and Hashirama surged forth to meet Peter. It was only after Peter not only dodged, but also struck the Kage with enough force to break the trees they landed on, that Orochimaru remembered the boy had managed to fight them off just moments prior.

Deciding that this was worth investigating, Orochimaru replaced himself with a nearby branch the moment the boy struck at him, so as to observe from a safe distance. Imagine his surprise when the boy shot out one of those thin white cables, caught onto his shirt, "Time for a ride!" and slammed the man into a tree.

Orochimaru got up with a low growl, _"That damn boy! He, he-!"_ Watching the boy fight his resurrected slaves, something dawned on him, _"…He is unlike any shinobi I have ever seen…"_.

Watching as the boy fought, Orochimaru noted that he was a phenomenal specimen of physical prowess. Though reluctant to admit it, the two Kage he resurrected were not at the level of strength they were in their prime, even with the modifications he made to Tobirama's jutsu. Still, this boy, he was holding his own. He was even mocking the undead men (not that they had the faculties to pay attention). Even more noteworthy, the boy was not using any jutsu to fight, nor any supplementary techniques (except perhaps for his webbing).

Orochimaru licked his lips as he stared at the boy, yes, he would make a fine host. Smiling with manic glee, Orochimaru extended his neck, jaw wide, prepped to mark the boy as his own. To his shock, the boy twisted his body just before he could be marked, and Orochimaru bit into the arm of Tobirama, "Woah! Buy me a drink first," he then chopped at Orochimaru's neck, causing him to gag.

Peter took that moment to backflip away. He rubbed his neck, _"That was a little close for comfort"._ He heard Hiruzen land next to him, "So…got the endgame planned".

Hiruzen nodded, and formed two shadow clones, "Can you trap them, ensure they won't escape".

Peter nodded, "Sure, hell, I can deliver them right to you".

Hiruzen smirked, forming two shadow clones, "Just trapping them will be fine".

Peter saluted, "Yessir," and bound towards his opponents once more.

Enma spoke from the staff, "You are truly committed to this, aren't you?"

Hiruzen gave his old friend a small smirk, "For this village, for my family, no sacrifice is too great!" He then sped through nine signs, ending with a clap. Suddenly, he felt a being of immense power appear from behind. He spared a glance, and nearly gaped in a mixture of awe and fear at the sight of the Shinigami holding what he could only assume to be his soul. Then, black markings grew all over the Shinigami's left arm, after which it shoved said arm into Hiruzen's soul. He coughed up a bit of blood at the sensation.

He looked over towards the current battle, and saw that Peter was in the middle of chasing Orochimaru, Tobirama and Hashirama already webbed to some tree trunks. He smiled, "Thank you Peter".

His two shadow clones rushed towards the trapped Kage, and grabbed them by the shoulders. The Shinigami, through Hiruzen's clones' stomachs, shot a hand out towards each of them, severing Orochimaru's connection.

Orochimaru felt his break, "What-ugh!"

Peter had delivered two brutal chops to his arms, sending Kusanagi flying away, Peter then shot out some globs of webbing at Orochimaru's feet, "Got you're toes!" and proceeded to cocoon the man up.

Tobirama and Hashirama looked down at their bodies. Tobirama cocked a brow at the sticky substance that had him firlym rooted to a tree trunk, "What is this?"

Hiruzen smiled, "A gift from Peter".

Hashirama smiled, "What a talented youth".

They both then sent sorrowful smiles to their old student, "Sorry for causing you so much trouble Saru," Tobirama said.

His student looked down, "And I am sorry for what I am about to do".

Hashirama shook his head, "Don't be, old friend". Then, the Shinigami pulled their souls out, depositing them into its open maw. As the bodies disintegrated, Hiruzen saw the bodies of two of Orochimaru's minions appear from the ashes. He clenched his jaw, and stalked towards Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in fear as he saw what happened to his resurrected bodies. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, he opened his mouth to escape his current body. Too bad for him Peter webbed it shut, "Always with the yelling, you know that's how people lose their voices".

Orochimaru would have glared at Peter, but heard Hiruzen approaching. _"NO! I have come too far to die here!"_ He then focused on his sword. While he could move it with his mind, it was much easier to do so when his hands were free to direct it with his fingers. He could feel it hover in the air, far to his right, and his eyes widened in glee.

Hiruzen roughly grabbed Orochimaru by the shoulders, "Now, I finish what I should have done years ago! This is your end Orochimaru!" A purple hand shot out of his stomach.

Peter felt a tingle in his spider-sense. Following it revealed a sword, traveling at a high velocity towards Hiruzen.

Enma saw it as well, "NO!" the summon roared, as both he and Peter dashed for the blade. Peter shot out some web-balls at hit, but the blade dashed though them unimpeded. Enma had better luck, managing to grab the blade; it slashed through his hand, but he held firm. Alas its course was only slightly altered altered. Instead of Hiruzen's head, it entered through his side.

The man let out a strangled cry as the blade slid between his ribs. He saw Enma adjust he grip on the blade, "No Enma, don't pull it out! I must focus on sealing away Orochimaru!"

Enma balked at his friend, but nodded, holding the blade firmly in place.

Peter stumbled over, "Damn it! It's my fault, I should have broken that thing instead of let it fly!"

Hiruzen looked over at Peter, and sent him a bloody smile, "No Peter, you have done more than enough," he glared once more at Orochimaru, who was visibly straining under the Shinigami's cold grip, "Now I must finish the job".

 **Line Break**

Haku hopped into an ice mirror to avoid an earth spear, reappearing above the carnage in the streets. It was not as bad as it would have been had Konoha been caught mostly unaware, but the invaders were dead set on taking as many people as they could down with them.

Looking around, he spotted a mane of gray hair from a man he thought imprisoned. Speeding forward, he slashed at the fleeing man with a kunai, and hissed in annoyance as he avoided the strike.

Hake glared at Kabuto, "How did you escape?"

Kabuto gave a smug smirk, "You'd be surprised what a background in medicine can give a man, for example" Haku whirled around, dodging a glowing hand in the process, "How to disable the body in one simple strike".

Haku leapt into the air as Kabuto and his clone charged him. He shot out needles at both of them, but only tagged the clone, causing it to melt into mud. Haku cursed as Kabuto threw down several smoke bombs. He landed down, throwing needles all around him. Then, a large roar shook the air itself, and Haku looked around in fear. He almost fell on his back when he saw a giant monster made of sand tower over the forest.

 **Line Break**

Peter felt his spider-sense rattle in his head as a roar tore through the air. "What the hell?" He looked over to Enma, who jerked his head upwards. Peter began to swing up the entangled trees to get a better view of what was happening. He nearly fell to the earth at the sight of the giant sand demon. "…I've seen bigger".

" _Perhaps,"_ Cassandra intoned in his head, _"But nothing quite like this"_.

" _Cassandra, where've you been?"_

" _Monitoring the battle, leaving you undistracted"_.

" _Well, what I miss?"_

Cassandra took a deep breath, _"First and foremost, Kabuto has escaped"._

Peter recoiled, _"What?!"_

" _Yes, I was not monitoring him, but Haku met him just moments before that beast appeared. Haku is currently scouring the village, but I doubt he will find him"_.

Peter rubbed his temples, _"Ok, what about the group that went after Gaara?"_

" _Well, Shikamaru stayed behind to let Sakura and Naruto run ahead to catch up with Sasuke and Shino. He was in a tight spot, but Asuma came in and saved him…Peter, are you paying attention?"_

Peter shook his head, _"Sorry, just, a giant toad with a pipe appeared out of nowhere…and now he's fighting the sand thingy with a giant sword"._

"… _Right, well, afterwards Shino fought the boy Kankuro, and both got knocked out. Sasuke then caught up with Gaara, but that seal of his activated…That seal is a horrible thing Peter, it twists his thread, practically destroys it with its unholy taint. Anyway, Sasuke was defeated, and Sakura was captured as a result, and Naruto had been fighting ever since"_.

"… _That toad transformed into a giant fox…Oh, now both are gone…is Naruto dead?"_

Cassandra hummed in thought, _"…No, Naruto is still alive, as is everyone else in the vicinity"._

Peter sighed in relief, _"Good…Better head down, see how the old man is doing"_. Peter leapt down.

 **Line Break**

Hiruzen struggled as hard as he could, but the sword's blow had done more damage than he would like to admit. He coughed up blood, "I-it seems I will not be able to take you with me to hell…no matter, the least I can do, is take away your arms!" Orochimaru's eyes widened in fright, and then he howled in rage and pain, snapping the now weak webbing keeping his mouth shut, as the Shinigami cut off the spiritual essence of his arms.

He looked down at his arms, hanging limply from his side, "W-what have you done?" he glared at Hiruzen in a frantic rage, "What the hell have you done to my arms?!"

Hiruzen smirked, "What I just told you…you will NEVER be able to cast a single jutsu ever again". He smiled as he felt the Shinigami collect his soul, _"Farewell…my children…"_ and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandamie Hokage of Konoha, fell dead on the ground.

Orochimaru was starting to hyperventilate, alternating between staring at his arms and his dead teacher. An anguished cry of, "NO!" from the treetops convinced him to move.

"Sound Four! Retreat!" He leapt away as Peter landed next to the Hokage's still corpse.

He knelt down, "No, no, no, no, dammit!" He punched the ground, thin crack surrounding his fist. He looked up when he heard surprised screams coming from the direction Orochimaru was headed, and saw a mass of jonin tangled in a large web.

He looked over to Enma, gazing mournfully at his summoner. Peter grunted, "How's about we go snake hunting?" Enma gave a feral grin in return.

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru looked down at his rotting arms with a scowl. Though, a cosmetic change was the least of his worries. Hiruzen was true to his word, and he found himself unable to mold even the tiniest amount of charka. As such, he was forced to speed through the trees by his own power, not impossible mind you, just terribly inconvenient.

As he was speeding along, Sound Four in tow, he almost yelped in fright when Hiruzen's staff impaled itself into a tree right in front of them. His fear did not mitigate when Peter landed on the staff.

Peter looked at the five individuals, "Boys, and girl, did you honestly think that after all that shit you could just up and leave?" He hopped of the staff, throwing it behind them, after which it transformed back into the Monkey King, and landed on the ground, "Now, way I see it, we got some opt-!" His masked gaze froze at Kidomaru. Peter stared in mute horror at the six-armed youth. Pointing at him with a shaky hand, Peter asked, "Y-y-you…How long have you had six arms?"

All present were confused. Kidomaru narrowed his eyes at the costumed boy, "What?"

"Answer the question!"

Kidomaru blinked, "Er, since birth…why did I answer" he muttered.

Peter narrowed his lenses, "You've never had less than six arms?" A shake of the head, "Oh thank god, for a second there I was actually worried you might be a problem".

Kidomaru recoiled at the matter-of-fact tone Peter had in dismissing him. He then roared, "I'll show you a problem you piece of shit!" He bound forward, six arms prepared to strike, while his teammates focused on both protecting Orochimaru and fighting off an enraged Enma

Peter groaned, _"This is gonna suck"_. Still, he tensed and waited. Kidomaru soon came into range, and four of his fists at Peter, the last two making webbing to trap him. Peter cartwheeled to the side and shot out his own blasts of webbing, which impacted Kidomaru's own blast, negating the attack. Kidomaru then hopped around Peter, forming webbing from all six of his hands. To his frustration, Peter was able to weave in between all it all.

" _All right, so the bastard's at least halfway decent…but…he can't dodge what he can't see"_. A plan in mind, Kidomaru leapt high into the air, spinning a large and intricate web.

Peter ducked out of the way of the net of webbing. He looked over at Kidomaru, who was crouching on a tree branch, "So…are you new at this or what?" Kidomaru just smirked, and pulled on his webs, causing several rocks and scattered tree limbs to rocket towards Peter. Peter back flipped onto a tree, "So, yeah, how long you been doing this".

As Kidomaru was trying not to scream, his teammates were not doing much better. Jirobo tried to punch Enma in tandem with Sakon, but the Monkey King hopped into the air and grabbed their heads with his feet, slamming them into the ground. He then transformed his arm into a staff and shot it at Orochimaru, who was shoved out of the way by Tayuya. Orochimaru, dazed, looked at Tayuya, who had her curse mark running up her body, "No you fool!" Tayuya looked over at her master, confused, "If you enter your cursed state this battle will go on longer than it needs! Summon your ogres, and we will escape in the carnage".

Tayuya nodded, and brought her flute up to her lips, but a loud yell distracted her, "HA! Got you, you bastard!"

All turned towards the voice, and saw the rapidly falling form of Kidomaru head towards a Peter, webbed to the ground. Orochimaru grinned at the thought of Peter in pain as Kidomaru struck with all six of his fists. However, when the wrong boy started to howl in pain, he gaped at the sight.

Peter (who tensing for a powerful blow) stared at Kidomaru (whose arms were hanging limply on his sides) with narrowed lenses, "Wait…do you not have enhanced strength?" Kidomaru couldn't muster a glare at the boy. Peter gasped, "You don't…what about stingers, agility, spider-sense, stingers, stick-em powers?" Kidomaru (on top of the searing pain of six broken arms) grew confused, as did the others. Peter started to guffaw, "Oh my god! You really are just some scrub with six arms! Oh man, worst Spider-Man variant ever!" He then flexed, and easily broke through the webbing, "And your organic webbing isn't even that strong! HAHAHA" Three large thuds came from behind him, "There's something behind me isn't there?"

He turned around. There was the pink-haired girl, playing a flute, and behind her were three giant beasts. One in a full green get-up with really long hair wielding a large metal club, another one with only pants, and bandages around its wrists and eyes, with some sort of clawed gauntlet tied to its wrists, and another one completely covered in bandages. Peter blinked, "Huh, don't see that everyday". The girl then blew into her flute, and the monster attacked, the half naked one running towards Enma, the club wielding one towards Peter, and the bandaged run heading towards the village. Peter growled as he sensed the Orochimaru and his escorts flee, _"Slippery aren't they…priorities Parker, get rid of the giant monsters,"_ he sped away from the metal club, _"Besides, you can capture them when everything blows over_ ". He ran up the club, and slammed a right hook into the creatures face, knocking it down. As it fell, Peter grabbed its club with some webbing and, with a great effort, hurled it at the giant running towards the village. He hit his mark, and the thing vanished in a puff of smoke when the club crashed into its head. Leaping high into the air to avoid the angry striked of the now weaponless beast, he shot out two web-lines into its chest, and pulled, smashing into the thing feet first, forcing it to disappear as well. He looked over to Enma, who appeared to have trouble with his foe, "Hey fuzzy, go high and turn into the not-Adamantine staff!" Enma growled, but complied, leaping off of his foe and transforming in midair. Peter had jumped as well, grabbing the staff at its apex, and slamming it down towards the last giant. As soon as the staff hit its head, it vanished, and Peter slammed the staff into the ground, fracturing it.

Peter gazed forlornly at the ground as Enma transformed, "…Sorry we didn't get them".

Enma looked sorrowful as well, "Don't be boy, we did the best we could. Besides," he held up his claws, bloodied, and with some loose skin on them, "They did not escape unscathed…I should go, and take that dreadful sword with me when I return home". Enma turned to leave, but stopped, and looked over his shoulder, "Sarutobi spoke highly of you, you know, glad to see he was right in his praise".

Peter smiled, waving to Enma as he disappeared into the trees. Peter then sighed as several ANBU appeared next to him. One of them, in a sparrow mask, looked at the devastated landscape in awe, "…What happened here?"

Peter looked over at the agent, "They escaped".

He and his squad discreetly glanced at one another, "…You'll need to provide more detail than that".

Peter waved him off, "Sure, sure, let's head back…Actually, hold on one second". The agents were confused, but watched as Peter walked over to a tall tree. With an angry cry, he punched the tree with all his might and (to the agent's disbelief) uprooted the plant, causing a booming thud as it hit the ground. Peter turned to the gawking ANBU, "I'm better now, let's go".

 **A/N: And done. Man! Longest chapter ever! And I know that this update seems quick, but I've had a lot of free time over the last few days (like, so much that if not for this account I would be bored out of my skull). I was considering making the 'Konoha Crush' several chapters, but as I started writing I realized I really just wanted to focus on what Peter was doing, since he is the main character. Hope all those fights were to your satisfaction. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

'New' Challengers Approaching!

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter was aimlessly wandering through the village. Hiruzen's funeral ended just a few hours ago, and Peter felt like crap, _"…I should've done something!"_

Cassandra resisted the urge to groan, _"Peter, there was nothing you could do"._

He growled, _"Yes there was! He shouldn't have had to sacrifice his life like that…I could've just trapped the Super Undead Bros. and we could've captured Orochimaru-"._

She interrupted him, _"And what, kept two highly dangerous nigh unstoppable warriors locked in some cell for all eternity. You heard Hiruzen, the only other way to stop them was to get Orochimaru to release them willingly, and I highly doubt he would have done that under any circumstances"._

" _Yeah, but…"_ he sighed, _"I just can't help but feel like I failed"_.

Cassandra clicked her tongue, _"You have always been too hard on yourself Peter…Besides, with your help the village managed to avoid a potential disaster. Discounting Hiruzen, there were only 11 deaths from Konoha, 11! Imagine if they were caught unawares, how many more people would be dead right now, hmm?"_

Peter hummed in thought, _"…I guess you have a point…And from what I could gather, Snake-Eyes won't be able to use anymore ninja magic…But doesn't this set us back on the whole 'Web of Life' thing?"_

Cassandra hesitated, _"That…is where things grow complicated"_.

Peter cocked a brow, _"What does that mean?"_

" _Well…ordinarily, when someone dies, their thread grows brittle and, if they were particularly lonely, breaks…But Hiruzen's…it is in a sort of limbo, it is certainly not full of life, but the thread has yet to truly die"_.

" _This ever happened before?"_

" _A few times, mostly whenever one of your friends or enemies come back from some sort of alternate dimensional hell or any other form of displacement on the mortal plane, barring an actual death"_.

" _What about people that come back to life?"_

Cassandra groaned, _Ugh! Don't even get me started!"_ Peter snorted.

After a few more minuets of walking, he turned a corner to see Naruto sitting on a bench, his head down. Peter stared at the boy for a moment, then walked over and sat down next to him. After a hefty silence, Peter said, "…How you holding up?"

Naruto shrugged, "Fine I guess…I, I just," Naruto fell into silence "…I miss him".

Peter hummed in thought as he looked up in the clouds, "…This is the first time someone close to you has died right?"

Naruto sighed, "Well, my parents too, whoever they are…"

Peter noticed that Naruto's mood grew more sullen, and would have said something, were it not for the fact that Naruto continued to speak, "But he died for the village right, for Konohamaru, and Sasuke, Sakura, Lee, Hinata, Kakashi, Neji, me, you, and everyone else in the village?" Peter nodded in return. Naruto smiled lightly, tears in his eyes, "…That's what it means isn't it, your nindo, 'With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility'? Gramps was the strongest person in the village, and he had a duty to keep us all safe…And that means, when I become Hokage, I'll have to be just as good as him".

Peter smiled, clapping the healing boy on the shoulder, "Got it in one buddy".

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru held back a roar of frustration as he read through various status reports sent back from his remaining invasion forces. He went in 2,500 strong, and all but a few hundred escaped with their lives. "…It's that damn boy's fault," he snarled. As much as Orochimaru admired/wanted his abilities (a vast amount if Kabuto was to be believed) he was still an integral part of the total failure that was his invasion. The only thing he successfully completed was killing his master, and even that lost him his arms, as well as lead to his Sound Four being injured.

"Grah!" Speaking of.

Kidomaru bit back another yell as Kabuto huddled over his lefts arms, "I thought you were a healer!"

Kabuto glared at the injured youth from over his glasses, "…All six of your arms are severely broken, if not shattered, from the phalanges all the way to the scapula. Even some of your ribs fractured from the overall force of the blow…You'll be lucky if you heal in six months".

A snort from behind them made Kidomaru look over his shoulder, "I wouldn't be laughing one-eye!"

Jirobo, wearing an eye patch over his right eye, growled, and started to stalk over to Kidomaru. Tayuya decided to intervene, "Enough! Fighting will get us nowhere".

Jirobo sneered, "Speak for yourself, you didn't even lift a finger against that damn chimp!"

She glared right back, "No, I was too busy making sure Orochimaru-sama remained unharmed".

Sakon scoffed, "I'll be sure to tell Kimimaro that when he asks what happened to his beloved master's arms".

Kidomaru yelled in pain once more, "Gah! Can't you make it less painful?!"

Kabuto grunted, "I'm a medic, not a damn miracle worker".

Orochimaru's eyes lit up at that, "Miracle…" He stood up abruptly, garnering everyone's attention, "Come Kabuto, we must leave".

Kabuto stopped working on Kidomaru, "Sir?"

Orochimaru gave them all a feral smirk, "It is time I visit an old friend".

Kidomaru, in pain now that Kabuto was not sending healing chakra through his body, asked, "W-wait, what about my arms?"

Orochimaru gave him a thoughtful glance, then sharply turned on his heels, "You are to write everything you remember about the abilities of you and your clan".

Kidomaru blinked, "What, why?"

Orochimaru's eyes gained a dangerous glint, "That boy, Peter, came from somewhere, and you are the only one who can provide a possible lead. Imagine…more like him, with his abilities, his ferocity, under my command". He sharply turned his head to Kidomaru, "Leave no details out!" With that said, he exited the room, Kabuto in tow, to find perhaps the one person able to fix the curse laid upon him.

 **Line Break**

Peter was walking through the village out of costume, looking at all the construction underway. He had to admit, not as bad as it could have been. It was only a few days after the failed invasion, so most of the residential areas were looking fairly well.

He walked on for a few more moments and saw Jiraiya and Naruto standing by the main gate, Naruto wearing a backpack. Peter waved, "Hey guys!"

Naruto and Jiraiya followed the voice, and Naruto squinted his eyes, before smiling and waving in turn "Hey Peter! Didn't recognize you without you mask and costume".

Peter shrugged, reaching the duo, "What can I say, I like to dress casual every now and then…so, where you guys headed?"

Naruto pouted, "On our way to bring some old lady to steal my hat".

Peter quirked his eyebrows, "What?"

Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose, "Better not let Tsunade hear that kid".

Peter frowned at the name, then looked sharply at Jiraiya, "Tsunade Senju?"

Jiraiya nodded, "The same. She'd the best choice we have for a Hokage right now".

"So soon?"

Jiraiya grunted, "Can't look weak in front of the other villages, plus if she doesn't show I'll have to take up the damn hat," he muttered that last bit. He turned his head to the sky, "…Better leave now kid," he turned towards the forest, giving Peter a wave.

Naruto turned to follow Jiraiya, but gave Peter one last look, "See ya soon!"

Peter smirked and waved as the two disappeared from sight. He then clicked his tongue; "You can come out now" an ANBU operative appeared.

The agent looked at Peter, "You're presence is requested in the tower".

Peter sent the bird-masked agent- _"Man, whoever makes animal masks in this town must make a killing"_ \- a narrowed glance, "…Do I have to change?" the agent responded that yes, he probably should. Peter groaned, "Okay beak-nose, tell…whoever's in charge at the moment, that I'll be there in a few".

 **Line Break**

Peter, in full costume, entered the Hokage's tower. An ANBU agent appeared in front of him, "Follow me," and quickly walked deeper into the building. If not for the fact that his spider-sense wasn't emitting more than the usual buzz, he would have high-tailed it out of there.

Following the agent, he entered a room where a man was sitting down at a desk, going through papers. Peter blinked, as he looked just like Shikamaru, only older, with two scars on the right side of his face. Peter grunted, "I've heard of parents and their kids looking similar but man, you and Shikamaru take the cake".

The man snorted, "An astute observation," he then put down his papers, looking directly at Peter, "I am Shikaku Nara, Jonin commander of Konoha".

Peter noted the bags under the man's eyes, "You seem stressed out".

Shikaku sighed, "It's this troublesome paperwork" Peter stifled a chuckle at the man's use of his son's catchphrase, "Ever since the invasion and death of the Hokage I've been in charge of handing out missions to destroy the rest of Orochimaru's forces that are hiding out in a 100-mile radius".

Peter whistled, "That's quite an area".

"Doesn't help that all of our prisoners have been singing like canaries before Ibiki even enters the room…what happened to the kind of shinobi that wouldn't answer an interrogation even in the face of death?"

Peter quirked a lens, "Um, isn't it a good thing that they're telling us all that they know?"

"Not when it means I can't get any sleep," Peter guffawed. Shikaku then cleared his throat, stopping Peter, "Now, I understand you are a sensor".

"Of a sort".

"Right," Shikaku nodded, "I am sending you out with a small force comprised of Inuzuka and Aburame shinobi to seek out and destroy a small outpost about 20 miles due west".

"Wait a minute," Peter waved his arms in front of him, "Why are you sending me out?"

Shikaku sent him a dull look, "Because our forces are stretched thin enough as it is and you managed to hold your own against Orochimaru and the First and Second Hokage".

"Point taken".

Shikaku grunted, "You'll leave from the northern gate in an hour".

 **Line Break**

Haku was weighing some apples in his hand when he saw the two strange men in black cloaks with red cloud designs all over them. While their appearance was a little off-putting, a flash of blue skin and a large item wrapped in bandages set Haku's heart pumping. Yes, he had a scary suspicion as to who that was.

 **Flashback**

A young Haku clung tightly onto Zabuza as the older man led them through Kirigakure. Haku's grip increased when a large man with blue skin and a wild look in his eyes wielding what looked like a bandaged club stepped in front of them.

"What's this Zabuza?" The man smirked, "Didn't know you were fond of picking up strays".

Zabuza glared at the man, "Can it Kisame! What I do with the boy is none of your concern".

Kisame scoffed and peered closer at Haku, who hid behind Zabuza's legs, "…Hey, kid looks like a Yuki" he flashed a sharp-toothed smile at Zabuza, "Don't think the higher-ups will appreciate bringing a bloodline child right in the middle of headquarters".

Zabuza's glare deepened, "…Well, it's a good thing he's not a Yuki then isn't it?" He moved forward, issuing a sharp command to Haku, who followed, eager to leave Kisame behind.

After he was sure Kisame was away, Haku opened his mouth, "Z-Zabuza-sama, who was that?"

Zabuza paused, looking at Haku, "That was Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Swordsmen like myself".

Haku looked down, "So, you two are equally strong".

Zabuza shrugged, "Who knows…Just stay away from him, got it? You're far too weak and timid to even dream of standing a chance".

 **Present**

After Kisame and his accomplice left, Haku dropped his groceries and leapt onto the rooftops. Following behind, he saw that Asuma and Kurenai were following as well.

After following the black-cloaked duo to the outskirts of the village, they turned around to acknowledge Asuma and Kurenai. Haku's eyes widened considerably when Kisame's partner revealed himself as Itachi Uchiha. _"How is this possible"_ the boy thought, _"Why would Kisame and Itachi be working together_ ". After seeing Kisame slam Samehada into the ground, Haku decided to take action.

He leapt into the air, shooting several needles at Itachi and Kisame as he fell. The two easily noticed the attack however, and backstepped away.

Asuma and Kurenai stared in disbelief as Haku landed next to them. Asuma collected himself first, "Haku! Get out of here now!"

Haku shook his head, not taking his eyes off of Kisame, "I am afraid not Asuma-sensei".

Kurenai growled, "Haku, those two are very dangerous men, they are-"

"Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki," Haku interrupted her, "missing-nin of Konoha and Kiri respectively. The former was once regarded as the best of his generation, and the latter wields his blade Samehada with brutal ferocity. I also know what makes Samehada such a special blade, so you will need me if you want to stand a fair chance".

Kisame chuckled, "Oh really, what makes you so sur-"

"Samehada is alive and absorbs chakra as a food source".

Kisame visibly stiffened at Haku's words, "How the hell could you-wait a minute…Aren't you the kid that clung to Zabuza like some sort of lost puppy?" Haku's glare told him all he needed to know, "HAHA! You are! So what, did Zabuza sell himself out to Konoha? Where is the pale bastard?" Kisame's eyes widened a bit when he saw Haku's shoulders sag a bit, "…No…he's dead?" Kisame snorted as Haku's eyes gained a sad glint, "Huh," he hefted Samehada on his shoulder, "Always hoped I'd run the bastard through…Ah well," he pointed his blade at Haku, "I'll settle for you".

 **Line Break**

"You guys ever get the feeling that something horrible about to happen at the most random of times?" Silence, "Oh…Me neither".

"Quite!" The woman leading them, Tsume Inuzuka if Peter recalled, barked at him, her giant dog sounding his agreement.

Peter sighed, flipping in the air before shooting out another web-line, "Sorry, its just, I'm a talker. Some speculate that I like to hear the sound of my own voice. Others say that I just have a certain propensity to annoy anyone in a 5-mile radius. And then there are the select few that believe-"

A groan from his left stopped Peter, "Mother, why am I even here, I'm a chunin medic for crying out loud!"

Their fourth member, an Aburame named Muta, chose to speak, "That, Hana-san, would be because you are an able-bodied shinobi of Konoha".

Tsume grunted, "Right, besides, this is a small outpost that, at most, will have a little over half-a-dozen occupants, nothing we can't handle".

"Yeah," Peter agreed, "with the four," indignant barks interrupted him, "Sorry, eigh-" he then turned to Muta, and hopped a little closer to him, "Hey, how many of those insects you have in your body, I'm only asking because I want to evenly represent all members of this party".

Muta suppressed a shiver; "…Please do not stand so close to me".

Peter quirked a lens, "What, do I stink," he sniffed his costume, "Cause I just washed this thing".

Muta shook his head, "It is not that…you merely…freak out my beetles".

Peter almost tripped on the nest branch, but steadied himself, "Wait, really?"

Muta, now some feet ahead of Peter, nodded, "Yes, and not just mine, but every beetle in the Aburame clan. No one knows why, we believe it to be due to-"

"Enough," Tsume interrupted them; "We're close". They stopped on a tall tree, overlooking a small shack. Tsume and her dog, Kuromaru, sniffed the air, (as did Hana and her three dogs). She let out a low growl, "At least one persons here. Boy, what do you say".

Peter grumbled, "I have a name you know". But focused on his spider-sense. "…Whoever they are, they're dangerous, er wait, only he is…" he shook his head, "Regardless, there are six people in there, deep underground, and one person way off to our right. Kind off a threat, but we should be able to take those six out before anything else happens".

Tsume nodded, "Hana, Muta, head north and find this individual, me and Peter are going to take care of the six in the shack. Alert us if the enemy moves towards us". Nodding, the shinobi (and three dogs) sped off.

 **Line Break**

Hana followed her nose to the man. He really was far away; she must have been travelling for at least five minutes at top speed. Stopping a few meters ahead, she saw the man from high in the trees. His appearance caused her to pause. He was dressed in the strangest attire, with pale skin, dark, slicked back hair, and a gaunt face. Then, he looked up into the tree line, and her heart stopped when his gaze ended directly at her and Muta. That fear compounded when the man, with startling speed, jumped up next to them. Her dogs immediately attacked, but all three were swatted aside with very little effort on the man's part. Before Hana could react, he grabbed her collar and threw her to the ground. She impacted the ground with a loud thud. Her vision was spinning, and she barely registered Muta's worried cry as he slammed headfirst into a tree.

She then felt a hand close around her throat, and easily pick her up. The man spoke, "Now, what I am asking you is but one simple thing". Her heart filled with dread as the man sent her an evil smile, "Scream loud enough for **him** to hear it". Hana couldn't even choke out whom the man was talking about before his other hand gripped her right arm. Then he squeezed, and as her radius and ulna snapped like twigs and were crushed into powder, she screamed.

 **Line Break**

Peter opened up another steel door leading down the base. He then frowned, "Something feels wrong".

Tsume nodded, "I know what you mean, we should have run into some sort of trap by now". They would have conversed more, but Kuromaru growled, and pointed to a wooden door, the six enemy shinobi were there.

Peter slowly walked forward, "…Something is very wrong…they aren't moving, but they're alive". Peter wrenched the door open, and what he saw inside made him fall back in horror.

Tsume ran forward, "Hey! What's in ther-!" Tsume gulped as she saw the men inside. They were chained to the walls, their clothes tattered, their bodies skeletal. They did not register the two Konoha nin, nor did they seem capable of anything other than moaning in pain.

Peter started to shake, "T-this is…t-then that means-no! Goddamn it no!" Peter sped towards the surface.

Tsume turned around, "What are you talking about-" A faint sound stopped her words. It was high-pitched, pained, it sounded like…Her eye's widened, "Hana!"

 **Line Break**

Peter swung faster than he ever had, _"Please, please god if you ever cared, please let me be wrong!"_

Cassandra was bewildered, _"Peter calm down! Panicking will not help the situation"._

Peter growled, _"Well what should I do! I can think of only a handful of people that string bodies up like that, and if I am right…"_ he trailed off as he approached his target.

Peter's lenses narrowed as he saw exactly who holding Hana in the air as she cradled her shattered arm. Peter crashed to the ground, carcks forming around his feet. He grit his teeth as he glared at his foe, "Morlun!"

Morlun smirked, "Spider-Man, how… _delightful_ to see you again".

 **A/N: Whaaaat? Morlun! The hell is he doing in the Naruto world?**

 **In truth, I always liked Morlun (and to an extent, the Inheritors) as a concept. Just the thought of an interdimensional being that lives by draining the life force out of powerful people, the more closely tied they are to an animal the tastier, oh man, I cannot tell you how hyped I was! So yeah, when Morlun was first introduced, I thought he was the coolest thing. Also, Itachi and Kisame…that's a thing I guess…Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Torn to Pieces

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter slowly circled Morlun as the man in question looked on with an amused expression on his face. Breaking the tense silence (though interspersed by Hana's pained gasps) Morlun said, "You're a lot…shorter than when we last saw each other".

Peter snorted, "Don't let it bother you, I'll kick your pasty butt to the curb all the same".

Morlun's eye gained a dangerous glint, "Really now?"

Peter nodded, "Sure, I've beaten you at least twice now…Hey, remember the first time I kicked your ass, you started crying like a baby, begging me to let you go" Peter chuckled as Morlun growled, "Haha, good times…say, how about we reenact that huh, for old times sake".

Morlun's glare darkened, but before either could initiate the fight, Tsume and Kuromaru burst through the treetops. When she saw her daughter held in Morlun's grip, she snarled, "Hana! Let go of my daughter you bastard!" She and Kuromaru started to move forward, but stopped when Peter leapt in front of them.

"Wait!" he hissed, "He could crush her neck before you even got close!"

"He's right you know," Morlun responded, "It would be easy as well…But that would be such a waste".

Peter stomach sank, "Morlun, don't even think about it!"

The man scoffed, "Please, though filling, those six-what did they call themselves, ah yes- shinobi, were not appetizing at all". He leaned in close to Hana, and took a long sniff, "But this one…yes…she may not be totemic, she will make for a very good meal all the same".

Tsume had heard enough, and with a feral roar, burst past Peter, Kuromaru in tow. She and her partner then began to spin rapidly in the air, forming twin drills heading right for Morlun.

Morlun just grinned, "If you want her that badly, catch". He threw her towards the spinning pair. Tsume immediately panicked and canceled the jutsu, not wanting to harm her daughter. She tumbled into a landing as she saw Hana crash into Kuromaru (thankfully for Hana, Kuromaru had stopped his rotation as well), who would have crashed into a tree, were it not for a large net of webbing that caught them in the air. Unfortunately for Tsume, her relief was cut short by an arm that swung her right into a tree, dissolving her world to black.

Morlun cracked his neck, "Now that those pests are out of the way, let's get down to business".

 **Line Break**

As Kurenai disappeared into an illusion, Kisame swung Samehada down towards Haku, but Asuma jumped in and blocked it with his trench knives. Haku then sent several needles towards Kisame, who grunted, and backed away.

Asuma shifted his stance, "So, Samehada absorbs chakra?"

Haku nodded, "Yes, part of the reason why Kisame is so dangerous is that using any sort of jutsu against him will just be absorbed by his sword, leaving one vulnerable".

Asuma hummed, "Well, good thing I like to keep things close and personal".

"I will launch needles at him, keep him off balance". With that said, Asuma rushed Kisame, who retaliated by swinging Samehada in a savage arc, knocking a volley of needles away in the process. Asuma sidestepped the blow, and thrust his right blade forward.

Kisame dodged with a smirk, then widened his eyes in alarm when he felt his a cut on his cheek, _"What the-!_ " he abandoned that thought in favor of blocking a dozen needles with Samehada.

A grunt of pain caused the three to pause. Asuma followed the noise to see Kurenai kneeling on the water, Itachi holding a kunai to her neck. He pulse sped up, "Kurenai!"

Kisame snorted as he blocked another salvo of needles. "At least the brat doesn't let himself get distracted". He then formed a couple quick handsigns, "Water Release: Water Shark Bullet!" Water from the river formed around him, and then shot out towards Asuma and Haku. To Kisame's shock however, another water shark crashed into his own, causing both to dissipate to nothing. _"What the hell?"_

Itachi let out a small breath, "Impressive work," he turned his head slighlty, "Kakashi". The man in question glared in reply.

 **Line Break**

Peter let out a savage yell as he threw Morlun into another tree. Morlun crashed into the plant, splintering the wood. He then hopped off and broke off a tree limb, throwing it at Peter, who twirled to avoid it, snagging the limb with a web-line, and whirled it around at Morlun.

The man caught the limb, and pulled on it harshly, forcing Peter to launch forward with a worried yelp. He couldn't avoid the kick to the ribs, but he was able to sock Morlun square in the jaw.

Peter landed in a crouch, lightly holding his bruised ribs, "Ooh, gonna feel that in the morning. Still though, feels good to finally hit somebody with my full strength".

Morlun massaged his jaw, "Yes, the denizens of this world are rather soft aren't they?"

Peter rushed forward once more, right fist cocked for a devastating blow. He aimed at Morlun's ribs, but the man caught it with a grunt. Morlun then threw his own punch, which was in turn caught by Peter. The two foes glared at one another. "…If you kiss me I swear to god".

Morlun groaned, "I almost forgot how annoying you are".

"What? After all we've been through?" Peter snapped his leg up towards Morlun's jaw, but missed as Morlun let go of Peter, jumping away, "Morlun, I'm hurt, not physically like how our little get-togethers usually end up, but emotionally," Peter held a hand to his chest, "right here".

Morlun sighed, "I knew I should have put off finding you for another week".

Peter titled his head at that, "Wait, 'finding me'? You didn't know where I was?"

Morlun gestured dramatically, "No. I've only been here a couple weeks…and already my suit is dirty, no thanks to you. Do you know how hard it was to find someone willing to tailor something that was not a silk robe?"

Peter held out his hands, "Woah, back up a sec, a couple weeks?" Morlun nodded with a roll of his eyes, "That's impossible, those guys in that base, they were skin and bones, that takes you at least a couple of months, especially since you chained them up for a long-lasting meal".

Morlun clicked his tongue, "Ah, but this world has something none other I have travelled to has".

Peter squinted his lenses, "…Chakra?"

Morlun smiled, "Precisely…It is everywhere Spider-Man. In the people, the grass, the air itself is full of such delicious energy. And since I have stuck in that wasteland-no thanks to you-for I do not even know how long, I can admit to being particularly…famished".

Peter looked around him, "Really…but you can't absorb it directly can you? Otherwise this forest would be barren".

Morlun let out a morose sigh, "True, I am unable to absorb charka from the local flora, but no matter," he sent Peter an evil grin; "I enjoy playing with my food, as you well know".

"Yeesh, don't remind me". They rushed each other once more.

 **Line Break**

Kakashi and Itachi stared each other down as the other combatants tensed. Kisame decided to break the silence, "Well, looks like we've got ourselves a party, now that the infamous Copy-nin Kakashi" he gestured to the clone guarding Asuma and Haku, "has graced us with his presence".

Kakashi smirked, "Yes, had I'd known that it was you two hanging around in that teashop, I would have gotten a couple of presents".

Kisame bared his teeth in a manic smile. He would have charged, were it not for a quick reprimand from Itachi, "No Kisame! If it were just one of them we could easily take them out, but there are several shinobi here, and more are sure to come. We cannot afford any delays".

"And why is that?" Kakashi's clone asked before it poofed out of existence. The real one continued, "What's so important that you can't risk 'any delays'?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes slighlty, "…We've come to find something".

Kakashi's fought the urge to blink in surprise, _"Why is he answering me?"_ He then asked aloud, "Oh, and what would that be?"

Itachi was silent, "…This will take no time at all". Quick as a flash, Itachi pulled out several shuriken from his sleeve, but instead of using them, sent several spears of water towards Kakashi. However, Kakashi was perceptive, and formed a tall barrier made of water, blocking the projectiles. Itachi slighlty raised an eyebrow, "Impressive, that eye truly does," another Itachi appeared behind Kakashi, stabbing him in the back with a kunai, 'see all'".

Kurenai was shocked at the speed Itachi had launched his jutsu, but grinned nonetheless when 'Kakashi' dissolved into water. She was thrown for a loop however, when Kakashi emerged from the water right in front of her. "Get down!" he yelled.

Asuma and Haku looked on in horror as Itachi (the clone) exploded. "Kakashi, Kurenai!" Asuma yelled as he leapt towards the pair.

Haku made to follow, but was forced to jump back as Samehada slammed in front of him. He growled at Kisame, "Hey now, I don't think the adults would take kindly to you interrupting their little 'bonding session'. Don't worry though kid, Uncle Kisame will keep you nice and busy".

 **Line Break**

Peter launched Morlun away with a well-placed foot to the chest, idly noting that Morlun crashed into a nearby boulder. Peter gave a small, pained grunt. He could feel the bruises form on his body, his tattered costume hanging limply from his body- _"Dang, almost broke my record for not needing to use the spare!"_ -and his lungs fighting for breathe. He took a small comfort though, when he saw Morlun leaning on the boulder for support, tears and signs of abuse on his own clothes, and even a bloody lip. _"…Wait a minute…"_

Peter pointed a finger at his enemy, "What's with-*huff*-you?"

Morlun took several steadying breaths, "I-*pant*-I do not know what-*huff*-you are talking-*pant*-about Spider-Man".

"Oh please," Peter scoffed, "Every time you and I rumble I try not to throw-up my lungs afterwards. But you, what's your excuse?" Morlun glared at Peter, "It can't be that you're out of juice, you drained six full-grown adults- and I don't care what you say, that's a twelve-course meal for you. And I may be stronger, but I sure as hell am not strong enough to get you tired in under half-an-hour, so what gives?"

Morlun scoffed, then quirked his eyebrows, "Hold on a moment," Peter blinked. Morlun patted down his torn jacket, and let out a small hum as he picked up something hanging from his shoulder. Closer inspection revealed it to be a beetle. Shrugging, Morlun popped it in his mouth. His eyes lit up, "Ooh, that was delicious!"

"…What?"

Morlun started to look around sniffing the air, "That beetle was brimming with energy…it even tried to take some of mine, the irony".

"Oh yes, how quaint". Morlun shushed Peter, "…Did you just 'shush' me?"

"Quiet!" Morlun did it again, "I am planning how to best prepare my appetizer". He then felt some webbing attach to his chest, "…How rude" and let out a subdued grunt when he was lifted into the air and slammed back into the ground.

Muta hopped down to Peter. Peter noted that the man was shaking, "You alright there?" Peter looked up at the angry-looking welt on his head, "Got a concussion?"

Muta swallowed, and shook his head, "H-h-he ate one of my beetles".

"Yes he did".

"And now he wants to eat the rest?" Muta's voice rose to a frantic pitch.

"Well…" Peter looked back to Morlun, who was wiping some dirt off of his torn-up suit, "and you, he doesn't really believe in wasting things…other than money on those suits of his".

Morlun sent the pair a thoughtful glance. He then tilted his head, "…It seems that your other companion is heading towards us, and, fun this may be, I must bid you adieu".

As Morlun turned around, Muta spoke above his fear, glaring at the retreating man, "We cannot just let you leave!"

Morlun sent the Aburame an amused glance, "I do believe you will. After all, the only one who stands a chance of beating me is right beside you, and he and I have enough of a history to know that, if he chases me, odds are he will die, and well," he chuckled, "what does that say of you?"

Muta's glare deepened, and his hive buzzed in indignation. A hand on his arm stopped him cold however, "He's right. Even if he looks battered now, I can't say with certainty I can beat him, and if I die, you guys are dead," Muta opened his mouth, but Peter cut him off with a wave, "I'm stating a fact, I've fought him before, and even with all my strength, speed, and experience, I barely made it out alive- _hell, I actually died once_. Also," Peter turned to Morlun's smirking figure, "…he's not even at full strength" Muta's eyes widened at that, "yeah, and I already feel like crap- _Haven't had a decent fight in awhile too, getting rusty. Closest thing to a 'normal back home was with the zombie brothers and the pasty pedo, and even that wasn't all that tough_." Peter shook his head clear of that stray though, "Trust me, this is our best course of action". Muta, after calming down, thought over what he knew, and agreed with Peter's assessment (though he was a little perplexed by the 'experience' comment, the boy couldn't be older that sixteen). For him, and Tsume and Hana for that matter, to fight this man, would be tantamount to suicide. With a heavy sigh, Muta agreed to let the man go.

Morlun smirked, "A wise decision". He then turned around, leaping through the trees.

Tsume (sans Kuromaru, who stayed behind with Hana and her hounds) landed in front of Peter and Muta. Sniffing the air, she glared at the two, "You let him get away!" Muta and Peter nodded, "Why?!"

Peter rubbed his right shoulder; grimacing as the fibers of his costume tickled a gash on his arm, "Tell you after we get Hana to a hospital, you know, priorities and all that". Tsume flinched, she almost forgot about Hana's injured state in her rage. Nevertheless, she straightened and nodded to the two, leading them to where she left Hana and their hounds.

 **Line Break**

Haku hopped into another ice mirror to avoid Kisame's swing. The swordsman let out an annoyed growl, "Hold still you jumpy bastard!" He then blocked a volley of needles with Samehada.

Kisame snarled, _"Brat's certainly fast with those mirrors of his, I can see why Zabuza took him in"._ Kisame shifted his eyes to the three mirrors Haku formed, hovering about twenty feet away from him. He then turned his eyes to the river behind the mirrors, _"…That'll work"_. He looked down at his sword, _"Gonna need a bit of a boost"_. Focusing, Kisame drew on the vast chakra Samehada had collected over the years. He tensed, focusing the chakra on his arms and legs. With a savage roar, he shot forward, smashing one of the mirrors to bits, and quickly moving on to the second, before finally moving to the one Haku was resting in.

Shocked at the man's sudden speed, Haku darted out of the mirror. When he saw Kisame's feral grin, accompanied by a handsign, Haku paled. He bit back a yelp as water from the river shot up and caught his leg, throwing him down onto the bridge with a crash.

Kisame let out a satisfied chuckle as Haku tried to get back up, but fell down his left leg, which was bent at an unnatural angle. "Well kid, it's been fun," he held Samehada in front of him, "But Samehada got a little hungry from that workout you put him through," his teeth shone as Samehada ripped through its bandages, revealing its true form.

Kisame lifted Samehada high as Haku. Kisame scoffed, "Gonna need something bigger than that boy".

"Kisame! Time to leave," Itachi's voice rang out.

Kisame sighed, "…And we were just getting to the good part...Well kid," he lowered his sword, "Gonna have to kill you later". Haku threw his needle as Kisame turned. The blue-skinned man rolled his eyes as he shifted his head and caught the needle in his teeth, "Need to try harder than that". He spit the needle out, smirking as it sank into Haku's leg. Kisame disappeared with a cruel laugh as Haku hissed in pain, holding back tears.

 **A/N: 20% of my time on this chapter was focused on coming up with a good title. The other 80% was focused on Morlun, and somewhere in between Haku got beaten by Kisame. Also, Peter's costume is basically scraps of spandex thanks to Morlun, so that means he has to make a new one. Feel free to make a suggestion as to what it should look like. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

(Insert Cheesy Title Here)

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Tsume rubbed her shoulder as she headed down the corridor towards Shikaku's impromptu office. Two days later and she was still sore after (though she wouldn't admit it) getting thrashed by Morlun. Her lips curled into a snarl as her thoughts once more turned towards the man that hurt her daughter.

Upon entering the doorway, she saw Shikaku lift his head up from a small pile of papers. Wordlessly, he stuck his hand under his desk and pulled out a bottle of Sake, along with two cups. Shikaku set the items down, "Looks like you could use it".

Tsume grunted, but sat down and poured herself a glass nonetheless, "Thanks" she gruffly replied.

Letting her finish her cup, Shikaku steepled his fingers, "So…this man, Morlun," he paused as a deep growl emanated from Tsume's throat. Shikaku scoffed, "Grow up! You aren't some genin who suffered their first loss".

Tsume shook her head, "It's not that…It's Hana," Shikaku frowned. Tsume sighed, "…She's…terrified of him, the possibility that he might come back. I think he's the first person she's faced that's given her such a beating".

Shikaku nodded solemnly, felling his scars, "That does stick with you". He cleared his throat, "Anyway, what is your opinion-professional mind you- on the man?"

Tsume was silent as she separated her motherly rage from what (admittedly little) she knew of Morlun; "…He's knowledgeable, given that all the traps in the enemy base were disabled, and smart enough to know when to back down from a fight. Not to mention strong enough to put that Peter kid-the same one who, when the invasion ended, was mostly unscathed-through the wringer".

Shikaku let out a thoughtful hum, "That's the worrisome part isn't it…ever since that kid fell into our lap, he's been seen as a paragon of shinobi, strength, speed, skill-perhaps not ninjutsu, but he is still a genin. And now someone else comes along with the same level of strength…Makes you wonder if there are any more like him are out there".

 **Line Break**

" _The one day I leave is when a couple of wackos decide to visit"_. Peter shook his head as he walked to the hospital where Haku and Hana were staying, a bag of 'get-well' gifts in hand. He was admitted too when he and the others first arrived, but his injuries more or less healed on the return trip, so he was not forced to endure the torture of hospital food.

" _I hope you do not blame yourself for what has occurred Peter"_ Cassandra's voice rang in his head.

Peter scoffed, _"What, blame myself for not being in two places at once? Please, I'm not fifteen anymore"_ he could feel her lips curl in amusement. Peter blushed, _"You know what I mean"_. Cassandra chuckled in response.

Peter entered the hospital and smiled at the lady at the front desk. "Hello. Can I get the room numbers for Haku Yuki and Hana…Inuzaka?"

The woman smirked, "You mean Inuzuka?" Peter nodded, his blush returning. She rummaged through a folder, "Hmm…Ah, they're on the same floor. Haku Yuki in room 312, and Hana Inuzuka in room 307". Peter thanked her and headed up the stairs. A short trip up a couple flights of stairs later, and he was standing outside Hana's room. He knocked on the door, "Uh, hi, Hana, it's me, Peter, can I come in?" At Hana's muffled 'sure' he entered. Peter smiled at her as he opened the door.

She responded with a half-hearted one, "Hello…you just missed Kiba".

Peter shrugged, "I'll see him sooner or later…so, how are you doing?"

He false smile widened, "Great!" She moved her casted arm up and down, "I'll need to wear this for a few more weeks, but after that I'll be better than a puppy on an ice cream high".

Peter nodded slowly, pulling a chair near Hana's bed, sitting down, and looking straight at her, "Now how are you actually doing?"

Her smile faltered, "I told you, I'm-"

"Hana," Peter cut her off, gently placing his hand on her uninjured arm, "I've fought him before, be honest".

Her smile had disappeared. She opened her mouth to speak, but any attempt to claim false bravado failed under Peter's knowing eyes. Eventually, her eyes shone with a terrified glint, and her voice quivered, "…It was the eyes. Those horrible, cold eyes, like I was nothing to him, barely worth notice…It gave me the feeling that, that if he wanted, he could just toy with me until I broke and he would have spent as much energy as putting on clothes". She was beginning to shudder now, tears welling up as she remembered-as she felt- the paralyzing fear Morlun's stare placed her under.

Peter sighed, patting rubbing her shoulder comfortingly, "Yeah, I know the feeling".

"And…you've fought him before?"

Peter nodded, "More times than I care to count".

She stared at him, "How are you alive?"

Peter clicked his tongue, "Sometimes I had help, and sometimes I barely escaped with my life- _and one time I didn't even manage that_ ".

Hana turned her gaze down to her broken arm, "…And there are more like him aren't there, monsters way out of our league?" She took Peter's silence as an affirmation. She smiled bitterly, "Do we even stand a chance?"

"Well not with that attitude you won't" Hana slowly turned her head towards Peter, who coughed into his hand, "It's just…look, from my experience, there will always be days when you're in over your head. Days when you go against someone that just seems better than you in everyway, but you can't let that stop you," Hana blinked at the conviction his voice gained, "As you just found out (in an unfortunately brutal way) those guys can and will beat you, and that's okay, it's just not the type of fight you can win, not at first anyway. Everyone has a limit they need to recognize, its up to you to find that limit, and overcome it".

Hana stared at Peter, then smiled, and wiped her eyed free of tears, "…How come you and Kiba are around the same age, but you act so mature?"

Peter smirked, "I eat my veggies".

 **Line Break**

Haku was idly shifting some ice in his hand when he heard Peter knock on his door, "Come in," he answered.

Peter opened the door, "Hey Haku, how's the leg?"

Haku looked at his leg, which was hanging in the air, "Could be worse I guess," he shrugged, "Kisame could have shredded it with Samehada, and that would take a lot longer to heal than a broken bone".

Peter grimaced, "Yeah, wouldn't be pretty…so what happened? All I've heard is that a couple of guys in weird cloaks got into a fight with our sensei and you". Haku told Peter what had transpired on that day. Peter's eyes widened considerably at the mention of Itachi, "Woah-woah-woah, wait, Itachi Uchiha? The same crazy psycho responsible for slaughtering his clan? The same guy that's to blame for Sasuke's current lot in life?"

"The same".

Peter tapped his foot nervously, "…How'd Sasuke take the news?"

Haku shrugged, "I don't know, I was hospitalized almost immediately". Haku tilted his head as Peter straightened in his seat, "Something the matter?" His confusion compounded as Peter opened the window to look outside.

Peter was silent for a moment. He looked over his shoulder at Haku, "Never mind about the Sasuke thing".

 **Line Break**

Asuma sighed as he stood outside his father's home. Kurenai placed a hand on his shoulder, "We can come back and do this later…we were just in the middle of a big fight with some S-rank missing-nin".

Asuma shook his head, "Nah, if I don't do this now I'll never do it". He turned to Kurenai, a small smile on his lips, "Thanks for helping me out by the way".

Kurenai smiled in turn, "Thank you for inviting me". She looked around slightly, "Still don't want to invite Konohamaru or Naruto to help though?"

Asuma frowned, "Well, Naruto is busy looking for Tsunade with Jiraiya, and Konohamaru…I'm bringing him by later, after I clear some of the more…hazardous things my father stocked up over the years. You know, old seals and that stuff".

Kurenai nodded, "Of course". She turned her gaze to the house once more, "…Its big".

Asuma smirked, "Big enough for a decent family".

Kurenai (much to her displeasure) blushed a little, "A, a family huh?"

Asuma nodded, red tinting his own cheeks, "Yeah, you know, husband, wife, a couple of kids" he shyly tilted his eyes towards Kurenai.

She shifted a little closer, "A couple of kids?"

He sidled towards her, "At least".

She turned to look at him, noting his strong jawline, "And the parents?"

He met her gaze, and quickly took note of how her red eyes shone in the afternoon light, "There are enough nooks and crannies in the house".

She leaned forward, "Any you can remember?"

Their lips were centimeters apart, "I'm sure I can jog my memory".

"Ugh, and I thought Hiruzen and Biwako were lovey-dovey".

Asuma and Kurenai yelped, quickly moving away from each other. Growling in annoyance (for a couple reasons) Asuma turned to yell at the speaker, but his anger dissipated as he saw Enma leaning on the doorway into the house, chewing on a mango. Asuma blinked, "Enma?" The Monkey King nodded, "What are you doing here?"

Enma took another bite of the fruit, "Over the years, I shared some scrolls with your father, scrolls that, since he's…dead, need to be taken away for safe keeping".

Kurenai (still crimson with embarrassment) cleared her throat, "And you're just doing this now?"

Enma swallowed the rest of the mango whole, "I spent the last few days hiding the 'Sword of Kusanagi' where that pale bastard will never find it". He then moved away from the door, "I left everything else untouched though. Thought it might be better if one of his sons went through it all".

Asuma nodded, walking up to the powerful summon, and clasping him on the shoulder, "Thank you Enma".

Enma nodded, "Anytime". As Kurenai passed him, by snapped his fingers, "Right! Before I forget, do either of you know where that boy Peter lives?" The jonin grew perplexed at the question.

 **Line Break**

After spending a couple hours bouncing back and forth between Hana and Haku, Peter was making his way home. He decided to walk, as it would give him more time to think on current problems plaguing his mind, _"Could he and his family have cobbled together a teleporter?...Nah, he wouldn't have the materials, plus I doubt any of them are that smart…_

 _And if the others were here I would know about it"_.

" _What makes you so sure?"_ Cassandra intoned.

Peter snorted his tongue, _"They aren't a particularly subtle bunch…He had to have had outside help, there's no other way"._

" _If that were true, then who could have helped him?"_

Peter shook his head, _"That's the thing, I can't think of anyone. I mean, Norman could probably pull it off, and recent events proved Mysterio is capable of making interdimensional technology, but there is no way either know who Morlun is, or what universe we dumped him in"._

Cassandra hummed in thought, _"Surely there are others you have faced with the capability"._

Peter snorted, _"Sure, you've got Doom, Dorumammu, Thanos, you know, the people that couldn't be bothered to go out of there way to mess with little old me?"_ Peter let out a long sigh as he turned a corner, _"…Whatever, I should focus on Morlun himself, not how he got here"._

Cassandra nodded her head, _"All right, what do we know?"_

Peter pursed his lips, _"…He hasn't been here all that long. He knew I was here, but not exactly where I was…"_ Peter leaned against a wall, tapping his foot, _"…You know, I really miss the gargoyles in New York, such great listeners"._

" _Focus Peter"_.

" _Right, right,"_ he his head in his palms, _"…Okay, he was a lot weaker than he should be, but he also said that chakra is a very potent form of energy for him…Wait"_.

Cassandra titled her head, _"What?"_

Peter ignored her however, thinking a mile a minute. After a moment, his eyes widened, _"He can't stay here…"_

Cassandra scrunched her nose, _"I'm sorry, what?"_

Peter let out a short laugh, _"He-he can't…He's burning excess energy just to be in this universe…that's why he ran away"._

Cassandra slowly nodded in understanding, _"If he stayed and fought the others, he would have waste his reserves"._

" _Right! I thought it was weird, even if the two of us were on even footing, I was still on my last legs, a quick burst of energy and he could have knocked me out, and Morlun could easily play the waiting game with the others. But he couldn't take the risk! He needs a certain amount of energy in his system just to stay in this world, without that, best case scenario he gets dumped back in the wasteland"_.

Cassandra clicked her tongue, _"…This theory of yours makes things less messy, just capture him, and stick him in a cell until he runs out of energy"_.

Peter sighed, _"Don't forget, he's still as strong as I am now, and I've gotten an upgrade! I don't think anyone else could feasibly capture him, and those magic ninja moves could just help feed him"._

Cassandra pursed her lips, _"…We have thought on this subject long enough, you need some rest"_.

Peter shrugged, "Can't argue with that," he muttered as he pulled out his keys. _"Ah crap, forgot to grab material for some new duds…I'll do it tomorrow"_. As Peter opened the door, a ping in his spider-sense made him turn around, _"Someone's booking it towards me,"_ he idly noted. His eyes widened as a familiar looking primate hopped down in front of him, "Enma?"

Enma nodded, "Peter. May I come in?"

Peter shook himself of his surprise, "Uh, sure." He opened to door fully, allowing Enma to walk inside.

After taking a moment to admire his surroundings, Enma turned to look at Peter, "I'm going to be blunt boy. I need a new summoner, and you meet my criteria".

Peter stared blankly at the Monkey King, "…what?"

 **A/N: Woah, Enma wants to join the party! Yeah, I've had this idea floating around in my head a bit. I always thought Enma was a wasted character, I mean, he's a Monkey KING who it able to transform into a nigh indestructible staff that can further grow and expand. And I hope I did a decent job with the whole Asuma/Kurenai thing, romance isn't a skill I have adequate experience writing. Flirting is fine, but straight up romance is new territory.**

 **In other news, has anyone seen Captain America: Civil War yet? Cause if you haven't, OH MY GOD SEE IT! If only to see Tom Holland play an utterly spectacular Spider-Man. Seriously, the kid's good.**

 **Anyway, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Entering The Fold

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter blinked owlishly as Enma stared at him, waiting for an answer. "…This is a joke right".

Enma shook his head, "No joke kid".

Peter rubbed his temples, "Ok…what are these criteria that I apparently meet?"

Enma shrugged, "For one, you're already a decent shinobi, and have the potential to be more than that".

"Oh stop you're making me blush".

Enma twitched his tail in annoyance, "…You've also got heart, something I look for in my partners above all else".

Peter cocked a brow, "…Go on".

Enma pursed his lips, "…I'll admit, I'm a bloodthirsty cynic. I'd much rather kill a potential threat then try and reform them or let things play out naturally".

"A…brutal, if realistic philosophy" Peter slowly replied.

Enma nodded, "As such…I find it…refreshing to be around the optimists of the world, the ones that despise such tactics".

"Now hold on," Peter held up his hand, "How do you know that I'm like that, not that I'm not but…"

"You've got the same eyes Hiruzen ha-," he cleared his throat, "had, those damn, bright (possibly naïve) eyes". Enma was silent as he remembered his long-time friend, "…Anyway, it allows the both of us to converse and come up with a fair solution to a problem…most of the time anyway".

Peter pursed his lips, "…I can't be the only one that fits your criteria can I".

"The only one with a fighting style I can easily adapt to".

Peter sighed, "…Give me a minute".

"Of course," Enma sat down in a nearby chair.

Peter's conversation turned mental, _"Any ideas on how to proceed?"_

Cassandra clicked her tongue, _"This is an interesting path…above all else he would make a good ally"._

" _Yeah, but what about the fact that up until a few months ago, I didn't exist in this universe?"_ Peter countered, _"Or that when all this is said and done I'm going back to my home dimension? Oh yeah, and I'm actually a guy in his late 20's?"_

"… _And summoning is a complicated art, you are not nearly proficient enough in the workings of chakra to safely pull it off"._

Peter hummed in thought, _"Yeah, I should work on my ninja magic tricks…Admittedly, with all his experience, Enma could make a good teacher. The only problem would be keeping all the interdimensional stuff from him"._

" _Would we have to though?"_

Peter shrugged, _"I don't know, but considering how technologically developed this world is, introducing such a grand concept might freak him out…we need to think on this"_. He turned to Enma, "I'm uh, I'm going to need some time to think on this".

Enma waved his hand, "I understand. I did spring this up on you out of nowhere," Enma got up out of his chair, "Asuma will know how to get in touch with me. I await your answer". Enma put his hands together, making a sign, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Peter slumped onto the couch, "Oy vey".

 **Line Break**

A couple days later and Peter was still no closer to coming to a decision about accepting Enma's offer. He had however picked up a large amount of spandex, glass, fabric, and other such material to make himself some new duds. Now, he was on his way to visit Hana and Haku once more in the hospital, and perhaps check in on Lee and Sasuke. Peter paused, _"Do I really have nothing better to do than visit people in the hospital…Man I need to get a mission or something"_. Regardless, Peter moved on.

He entered the building to see, to his pleasant surprise, Haku signing some paper at the front desk. Peter waved, "Hay Haku! Glad to see you up and about".

Haku smiled at Peter. "Yeah," he looked down at his leg, bandaged, but not in a cast, "I was supposed to get a cast on, but Lady Tsunade showed up and sped up the healing process".

Peter quirked a brow, "Oh, so Naruto and Jiraiya found her then? Great!"

Haku nodded, "Yes, she is an…amazing healer," Haku felt his face heat up as he remembered the way Tsunade...bent to heal him.

Peter took note of the boy's red cheeks, "…Get any redder and you might have to be put back in for a fever".

Haku coughed into his hand (and tried to hide his now crimson cheeks), "So," another cough, "going to see Hana again?"

Peter shrugged, "And Sasuke and Lee too…Wanna come with?"

Haku shook his head, "Not right now, still have a few forms I need to fill up".

Peter nodded his head and waved good-bye, heading for the stairs, thinking once more on the Enma dilemma. He was so absorbed in thought; he did not notice that, to avoid another person heading down the stairs, he had started to walk along to wall. "You know, it's considered rude to ignore people".

Peter turned his head to the voice and saw the sideways image of a young woman with blonde hair regarding him curiously. Peter chuckled, "Sorry," he hopped down from the wall, "It happens sometimes…" As Peter got a better look at the woman, he hoped his eyes weren't widened as much as he felt. _"Those are…only slightly more impressive relative to the women I know actually"_. Aside from her…assets…Peter was quick to note that the woman in front of his was the legendary Tsunade Senju. Peter quickly waved his arms in front of him, "Woah! Your, well, you know who you are. I do too obviously. You're also my future boss maybe? Oh, and ignore that whole 'wall walking thing' I do that when I'm, lost in thought and," he gulped under her stare, "…please don't fire me".

Tsunade stared for a few (to Peter) awkward seconds. She then snorted, and a smile graced her features, "You've got a mouth on you…I guess you're Peter".

Peter blinked, "Uh, yes…how do you know that?"

"Naruto told me about you and a couple of his other friends on the way here".

"Oh," Peter nodded, "That would explain it…Well…see you later then boss lady". Peter walked up a couple steps, then turned to look at Tsunade once more, "Was that rude, cause if it was I am fully prepared to do your laundry or something like that".

Tsunade smirked, "Better than what Naruto calls me".

 **Line Break**

Peter had decided that Lee would be the first patient he visited today. As he neared the door, it opened to reveal Lee, apparently heading out. Lee (who had a sullen look on his face) attempted to send a smile to Peter. Peter didn't buy it, "What's wrong Lee?"

Lee dropped his smile, and tried to move past Peter, "It is nothing Peter…I just need some fresh air". Peter wasn't about to budge, but a small shake of the head from Gai convinced him to move out of the way.

As Lee's crutches clacked down the hall, Peter turned to Gai, "What happened?"

Gai sighed, "…Lady Tsunade has informed us that there is a chance for Lee to regain the use of his limbs, fix his entire body once more".

Peter gulped, "…What are the odds?"

Gai sat down on the bed, "50%…She said it would be better if Lee gave up…"

Peter looked up to the ceiling with a sigh, "And you think otherwise?"

A mirthless smile formed on Gai's face, "Of course…"

Peter clicked his tongue, "…In the end, it's his decision isn't it?"

Gai nodded, blinking back tears, "…He needs time to think on this by himself…and whatever he decides, I will support him 100, no, 1000%".

Peter smirked, "Otherwise you would be 'unyouthful' right?" Gai smirked back.

Peter waved to Gai, "Well, I'll see you later". He turned around, then stopped as his spider-sense sent out a loud buzz.

Gai frowned at Peter's still form, "Something the matter?"

Peter tilted his head up, "I don't know…whatever it is, it's on the roof…I'm gonna go check it out". Peter walked over to an open window, "By the way, whatever Lee decides, let him know I've got his back".

Gai looked at Peter, then flashed a large smile and stuck his thumb out, "You are a most youthful friend Peter!"

"Yeah well," Peter crouched on the windowsill, "it's the least I could do".

 **Line Break**

Peter began to slowly crawl up the side of the building. As he neared, he heard what sounded like a fight. He climbed on top the chain-link fence surrounding the roof, settling down on one of the water towers, he grimaced as he saw Naruto and Sasuke having said fight. _"Really? On top of a damn hospital?"_ His eyes widened as Sasuke sent out a large blast of fire at Naruto, and then squinted as Naruto (and a clone) had formed a blue ball in the hands of (who Peter assumed to be) the original Naruto, as Sasuke charged up a Chidori, both actions spiking his spider-sense tenfold.

Peter was so enraptured by the power (and danger) the two boys' possessed, he didn't notice that Sakura had run right in the middle of them. He would have jumped in, but Kakashi beat him to it, grabbing the two boys' by their arms and throwing away from Sakura, towards Peter. He quickly back flipped onto the chain-link fence behind on of the water towers water tower. _"Why is my spider-sense still buzzing?"_ He got his answer as the water tank burst, the water making him lose his grip on the fence, causing him crash on the ground, sopping wet.

 **Line Break**

Jiraiya regarded the wet boy who hopped onto the rooftop with curiosity. He grunted, "What happened to you?"

Peter titled his head to the left, "Water tank exploded," to the other side, "Whom do I have to blame by the way?"

Jiraiya smirked, "Naruto".

"Figures," Peter peeled off his shirt, and began wringing it out, "How did he do that by the way?" When he didn't hear an answer, he looked up to see an astonished face, "What?"

Jiraiya broke out of his stupor, "…You're ripped".

Peter looked down at his muscled chest, "Oh yeah…you'd be surprised how often I forget that".

Jiraiya hummed in thought, and quickly pulled out a notebook and pencil, "How exactly did that," he pointed at Peter, "Happen to a kid who hasn't even finished puberty".

Peter titled his head, "…Web-swinging is great for the body I suppose". Jiraiya nodded absentmindedly, scribbling on his notebook. Peter cleared his throat, "How did Naruto make a water tank explode?"

Jiraiya blinked, "Oh right," he put his notes away, "It's a technique called the Rasengan," Jiraiya held out his left hand, "By swirling chakra round and round in you hand," he brought his right over it, moving it in a circular motion, "with a bit of help, if needed" a ball similar to the one Peter saw in Naruto's one hand formed, "This happens".

Peter gulped; the ball **felt** powerful, "Cool move…and you taught this to a kid?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "He needs to firepower".

Peter shook his head at the justification. He looked back at the water tank Naruto obliterated, "…That's a lot of damage…Almost all of it internalized too…imagine if you hit a person with that

Jiraiya shook his head, "Don't get the wrong idea, it's actually fairly nonlethal…Hurts like hell, but the Rasengan alone won't kill anyone- _Course, if Minato managed to successfully combine it with Wind Chakra…_ " Jiraiya let that train of thought trail move on ahead.

Peter looked down at his shirt, no closer to getting dry, "Well, I'm going to go get changed, then chase down Sasuke".

Jiraiya cocked a brow, "Only Sasuke?"

Peter shrugged, and sent out a webline to a nearby building, "The first thing he decided to do after his brother put him in a coma was fight his friend; his marbles are more scrambled than Naruto's". He swung away, leaving Jiraiya to his thoughts on the increasing number of similarities between Sasuke and his old teammate.

 **Line Break**

It didn't take Peter long to find Sasuke, the boy was just sitting down on a large branch lying against a tree. Peter landed in front of the sullen youth, who in turn barely acknowledged Peter. Peter looked down at him, recognizing the brooding posture. With a sigh, Peter crouched down next to him, "…Let's take talk". Sasuke grunted, but did not stir. Peter sighed once more, and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "Okay, let me put it this way, we **need** to talk". Sasuke scoffed, but there was a certain look in his eyes, a sort of understanding. It was then Sasuke remembered that the boy in front of him faced a tragedy similar to his own. Then, with a sigh, Sasuke got up, and followed Peter.

Peter led them to a bench in a nearby park. The moon shone down, illuminating the square. Sitting down, Peter stared at the moon. "Sasuke, I'm going to be honest, you have a lot of issues". Said boy rolled his eyes and stood up, starting to walk away. He bit back a cry as he was pulled back down onto his seat, "Now, now, just sit down and listen, otherwise I'll web your butt to the bench and force you to." Sasuke begrudgingly sat down.

Peter nodded his head with a smile, "Progress…Let me start off by asking, has anyone ever told you that it's wrong to seek revenge, that it's a path that leads only to destruction?"

Sasuke thought back to the adults that spoke to him after his brother destroyed his life, to Kakashi's words just hours ago. "Yes, a lot".

"Well those people are stupid". Sasuke looked up at Peter in shock. "Revenge isn't just clear-cut concept, it can be good and bad".

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Good and bad?"

Peter nodded, "Yup, I've seen the aftermath of both too". Peter looked Sasuke dead in the eyes, "And let me just say, right now, you look like you're going after the bad kind".

Sasuke scoffed, "How do you know?"

"Cause I've done it before, a few times now". Sasuke was caught off guard. Peter chuckled; staring at the lake's gentle waves, "…Let me elaborate, 'good' revenge is when you give yourself guidelines on why you're doing what you're doing, and things you will not do. 'Bad' revenge, what you're doing, is running around angry at the world and attacking everything that you think gets in your way".

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I'm not seeking 'bad' revenge"

"Remind me, who woke up from the hospital and told their friend (the same guy they entered a coma for) 'hey, let's fight on the roof' because their brother showed interest in said friend?"

Sasuke tried not to blush, "That doesn't-"

Peter coughed, stifling a chuckle at Sasuke's red cheeks, "Don't bother, like I said, I've walked that road before, I recognize the signs". Peter sighed, "We're getting off topic…who do you want to avenge?"

Peter rolled his eyes at Sasuke's blank stare, "Humor me".

Sasuke took a deep breath, "I want, no, I will avenge my clan".

Peter pursed his lips, " _Yeesh, I got a lot to work with_ ". He cleared his throat, "Okay Sasuke, how?"

He growled, "By killing my b-Itachi".

"Okay!" Peter clapped his hand, startling Sasuke, "You've got a goal, that's good. But already you're off to a bad start".

Sasuke glared at Peter, "What?"

Peter hummed, "Well, you haven't really talked to anyone else about this have you?"

Sasuke scoffed, "Who can help me?"

"Oh I don't know," Peter shrugged, "Did you ever go around and ask who else Itachi hurt that night?"

Sasuke growled, "My entire clan was killed".

"I'm talking about people outside your clan," Peter gave in incredulous chuckle at Sasuke's blank stare, "Wait, you don't actually believe that only you were hurt that night, right?"

Sasuke was silent, "…If anyone like that did exist, why haven't they approached me?"

"Uh, have you met you? Plus, they themselves were probably so distraught that you slipped their minds". Peter let his words sink in, "Also, I never really got your nicknames".

Sasuke looked at him, "What nicknames?"

Peter gestured dramatically, "'The Last Uchiha', 'Sole heir of the Sharingan' and other crap like that. I mean, come on, **every** single member of your clan chose to stay in that one district? No one was ever like, 'you know what, this place is boring, I'm moving out' or, I don't know, married outside your clan and stayed with the spouse?"

Sasuke's eyes widened, he had never considered that. Thinking on this possibility, he faintly remembered a moment from his youth. "…I-I remember…Father was very mad one night…He said that…it was disgraceful that an Uchiha would choose to live outside the compound, and that they would never be welcome back".

Peter spread his arms wide; "See, there, at least once person that wasn't there that night. And if we dig a bit deeper, I'm sure there will be others".

Sasuke shook himself from his glimmer of hope and leveled a stare at Peter, "Not that this wasn't…enlightening…but why would I need your help".

Peter sent him a warm smile, "Cause it's the right thing to do. Cause I don't want you to make the same stupid mistakes myself and others have made" Peter leaned in closer, his warm smile becoming a mischievous one, "Cause I'm going to help regardless of what you say". Sasuke felt his eye twitch at that, but he had to admit, having the support of some who could (at some level) empathize with him was an appealing idea.

Peter looked up at the moon once more, "…It's late," he stood up, "You should get some rest, think on what you want to do next". He waved at Sasuke, and started to walk home.

He was only a few feet away when Sasuke called out to him, "Peter!" he turned around. Sasuke looked conflicted, then closed his eyes and clenched his fist, "C-can we talk more…about good and bad revenge?"

Peter smiled at the boy once more, "Anytime man, anytime".

 **Line Break: Yeah…I'm not really feeling this chapter. My first and foremost thought going into this was focusing on Sasuke's crappy revenge scheme that basically consisted of, 'get stronger, kill Itachi'. But I don't know, it still feels a little, lacking…whatever, that last scene was re-written like, five times, that's the best I'm going to get it. But yeah, I always found it stupid that EVERY member of the Uchiha clan just stayed in their own little corner of Konoha. Like, I get that Tobirama stuck them there cause he didn't trust them, but come on! The idea that no one would move is just ridiculous! Okay, done ranting. Besides, I'm sure I'll find some way to bring the topic up later in this story. Oh yeah, Enma…I'm looking forward to that…Be sure to leave a review, later.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

The Beginning of a Beautiful Buddy-Cop Movie.

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

 **"** **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter yawned as he walked towards the Hokage's tower. He was hoping to sleep in today (trying to help an emotionally damaged teen really took a lot out of you) when an ANBU operative knocked on his door and told him that Lady Tsunade wanted to see him. He pursed his lips, _"I don't think I've done anything to rub my new boss the wrong way"_.

 _"_ _Perhaps,"_ Cassandra intoned, _"They have need of your abilities once more"_

 _"_ _Better be a need that let's me leave,_ " Peter sighed, _"Don't get me wrong, this place is nice, but it's way too small"._

Cassandra smirked, _"Getting a little stir crazy Peter?"_ Peter merely nodded, tower in sight.

Once there, the secretary told him to wait a few moments, as the new Hokage was swamped with work. Peter nodded along and moved to sit down, when he saw that Shikamaru was there as well, holding his head in his hands, as his father pat him on the back. Peter walked up to the father and son, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Shikamaru merely groaned, muttering something about 'troublesome situations'. His father smirked, "Shikamaru here just learned that he's got some work to look forward to in the future".

Peter titled his head at that, then snapped his fingers, "You got promoted didn't you".

Shikamaru nodded glumly, "Apparently when I sent Naruto and Sakura running towards Sasuke and Gaara, and then stayed behind to make sure they went ahead, the higher-ups were 'impressed by my quick thinking' and stuck me with a vest, coupled with my apparently 'stellar performance' against that blonde woman…" Shikamaru looked pleadingly at his father, "Can't I just say no thanks and stay a genin?"

Shikaku smirked, "Sure, just be sure to tell your mother of your decision".

Shikamaru visibly paled, "…I'll take the vest".

While his son wallowed in self-pity, Shikaku jerked his head at Peter, "So, what are you here for?"

Peter shrugged, "Don't know, hopefully a mission".

Shikaku frowned, "Really? I would think the opposite considering…"

Peter snorted, "Yeah well…occupational hazard". The secretary called out to Peter, "That's my cue," he turned towards the door, "Oh, and Shikamaru," the boy grunted, "Your getting a whole new batch of responsibilities, be sure to take care".

Shikamaru sighed, "…Yeah, might as well get it all over with…I can see why Asuma-sensei smokes so much".

Shikaku chuckled, "Let's give that a few more years".

 **Line Break**

As Peter entered Tsuande's office, the first thing he noticed were the multiple stacks of paper threatening to fall off of her desk (Tsunade herself was trying to keep them from toppling over). Peter grimaced, _"The burdens of leadership_ ". The second thing was a dressed up pig trotting around the feet of a (fairly attractive) woman Peter had never seen before.

The woman smiled at Peter, "Hello, you must be Peter. I am Shizune, Lady Tsunade's assistant".

Peter waved in turn, "Hello," he then bent down, gesturing to the pig, "And who's this?"

Tsunade cleared her throat (having saved her towers of paper), "That would be Tonton, my pet," Tonton oinked in confirmation, seemingly proud of itself.

Peter smirked, standing up, "Well," his thoughts turned to a certain spider-pig, "Pigs are pretty cool".

Tsunade smiled, "Right, well there's really only one thing I called you for," she held out a slip of paper, "Your payment".

Peter quirked a brow, "My what?"

"Your payment for the mission sensei gave you before the invasion".

Peter nodded in understanding, and walked up, grabbing the check with a quick 'thank-you'. Then he saw the amount, and his jaw dropped, "…That is a lot of zeros".

Tsunade smirked, "It's an S-rank mission, you get a lot of money for completing one of those". Her smirk widened as Peter merely nodded dumbly.

Peter eventually regained his faculties, "I-I think I'll be on my way now". Peter slowly walked towards the door. He opened it, just a crack, when he suddenly shot his head up, "Oh! Almost forgot". He then, to Shizune and Tsunade's bewilderment, shot out four balls of webbing at seemingly random places in the room, "Have a nice day".

As Peter closed the door, Tsunade hummed in thought, "So…does that happen often?"

With a heavy sigh, an ANBU agent melted away from the wall, "More often then we'd like to admit".

Tsunade nodded, "Well," she looked at a sheet of papers on her desk, "I can see why sensei was considering giving the kid a promotion".

The ANBU agent and Shizune titled their heads, "Really?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yeah," she sifted through some more papers, "His only problem is that everything other than his taijutsu is crap," she shrugged, "Ah well," she stretched, surreptitiously reaching under her desk, "I'll worry about that later".

Shizune cleared her throat, "Lady Tsunade, I am afraid that until you have caught up all the paperwork left behind by your predecessor, your alcohol has been confiscated". Tsunade slumped in her chair.

 **Line Break**

Peter (still in a bit of shock over his massive paycheck) was sitting on a bench, wondering what to do. _"Well, I could check back in on Sasuke…nah, unless he comes to me I should let him reflect on his own for a bit"._

 _"_ _You could inform Enma of your decision,"_ Cassandra added.

Peter sighed, _"I could do that yes…I'm going to go find Asuma"_. A plan in mind, Peter started to swing away. Then stopped, _"I have no idea where Asuma lives"_.

Cassandra hummed in thought, _"Perhaps you should ask his students"_.

 _"_ _I don't know where they live"_.

 _"_ _Well, Ino's family runs a popular flower shop do they not?"_

Peter shivered, _"Uh-uh, I'm not going to mess with Ino, too early in the morning for that brand of crazy"._

 **Line Break**

Luckily for Peter, Asuma was leaning on a tree at a nearby park, overlooking his nephew and a few of his friends. Peter dropped down beside him, eliciting a surprised jerk from the man, "Hey, how's it going?"

Asuma calmed himself down, "Not bad, you?"

Peter shrugged, "Pretty okay actually," Peter looked over to Konohamaru, "How's he holding up?"

Asuma sighed, "He's doing all right…sometimes, when we pass a certain restaurant my father liked, or this one pond by the East gate, he gets a little sullen…but he could be worse".

Peter nodded, "…Where are his parents? Not to be rude or anything," he quickly added at Asuma's stare, "But, it's just, never really seen hide or tail of either of them".

Asuma grunted, and then shifted his gaze to the ground "…My brother died a few month's before Konohamaru was born, and his mother died in childbirth".

Peter frowned, "Yeesh, that's rough…does he stay with you?"

Asuma shook his head, "No, he stay's with our cousin, Akiko. She owns a bakery near the school".

Peter hummed in understanding, "…Hey so…I was wondering-"

"Want me help you get in touch with Enma?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah…that won't be a problem will it?"

Asuma shrugged, "Nah, it's actually pretty simple, all you need is the right seal and-"

"No," Peter shook his head, "I mean that, well, Enma was your father's partner, summon, whatever, and, I'm just some guy and all…" Peter trailed off.

Asuma smirked, "Peter, it's fine. Besides, he asked for you specifically. And I never wanted Enma as a summon to begin with". Peter sighed, relieved that there wouldn't be any awkwardness between them.

Asuma pulled out a slip of paper, and began to write on it, "Here's my father's address, be there around 3:00".

 **Line Break**

As he still had a couple of hours before going to meet Asuma, Peter decided to do some last minute fact checking on summoning with Naruto, who was (as he tended to do around noon) eating ramen at Ichiraku's. Peter nodded to the blonde as he sat down, "Hey Naruto," Peter then turned to Teuchi, pulling out some cash, "Could I have a bowl of Pork ramen?" the cook nodded, and got working.

Peter turned to Naruto once more, "Hey, I got a question for you," Naruto grunted, scooping up his fourth bowl of ramen. "How exactly do you summon things; is it some sort of psychic link, or a non-verbal agreement?"

Naruto frowned in thought, and slurped up the last bit of ramen, "Well," he titled his head, "ero-sennin had me sign my name on a scroll using my blood, and then I put my handprint on it".

Peter hummed in thought, "That's all?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah," a grin grew on his face, "After that, I was able to summon awesome toads, like Boss Toad!"

Peter quirked his eyebrow, "Boss Toad…was that the toad you summoned to fight Gaara?"

Naruto gave a grunt of affirmation, "Yep! He's really strong!"

Peter smiled, "I bet". Teuchi brought his order over, "Thanks," and Peter started to eat (Naruto moving on to his fourth and fifth bowls).

They ate in silence (relatively speaking, Naruto was fond of slurping) after that. Finishing his bowl, Peter pushed it to the side, and sighed, looking up to the sky. Clicking his tongue, Peter decided to take a risk. He waited for Naruto to finish his lunch. As the blonde moved on to his ninth bowl, Peter heavily suggested that Naruto take a walk with him; when that didn't work, he asked Teuchi to make Naruto's tenth bowl to go, and dragged the blonde out of the returant. When they entered a park, sitting down on a bench in the shade, Peter turned to Naruto "…Sasuke's going through a rough time you know".

Naurto coughed at the sudden change in subject, and almost spilled his ramen. Taking a moment to make sure his food was safe, Naruto replied, "Uh, I guess…Sakura told me that Oro-er I mean-" Naruto stuttered as he remembered that Sasuke's curse-seal was not his secret to tell.

Peter grunted, "Sasuke got the worst hickey imaginable, yeah I know".

Naruto tilted his head, "…What's a hickey".

Peter paused at the question, "What's a-you're thirteen how can you not know what a hickey is?" Peter groaned at Naruto's blank look, "Never mind". He cleared his throat, "Yeah, I know about the curse seal".

Naruto sighed at the mention of the seal, but then smiled brightly, "Don't worry Peter, Sasuke won't listen to that bastard!"

Peter gave Naruto a calculated look, "You really believe that?" Naruto nodded, confident in his friend, "Well…you're faith in Sasuke is encouraging, that's for sure". Peter on the other hand, was not too positive that Sasuke would disregard Orochimaru's offer. The kid had a lot of issues, and his revenge schemes were…lacking. Any incident could set Sasuke off and have him running to Orochimaru. Peter coughed, "Anyway, right now, Sasuke is going to need your help".

Naruto scoffed, and crossed his arms with a frown, "No he doesn't".

Peter shook his head slowly, "Actually, he does. He needs to know that he's not alone. Trust me," Peter's thoughts turned to his oldest friend, "with the things he's going through right now, the demons coming to light, he's going to need a lot of shoulders to lean on".

Naruto's frown deepened at Peter's words. Peter sighed and checked the time, "All right, that's enough outta me, I got some things to do," Peter started to walk away. He then turned to Naruto, "If you can think of anything you can do to help Sasuke, give me a call". Naruto just nodded slowly, returning to his ramen, though he ate it with much less fervor.

 **Line Break**

When Peter arrived at Hiruzen's house, Asuma was leaning on the front door, a lit cigarette in his mouth. When he caught sight of Peter, he took a deep breath, and then dropped the cigarette on the ground, stamping it out.

Peter smirked, "Good, the first step to quitting is stamping it out".

Asuma blinked, then smirked in turn, "Oh, no, there is no force in the world that can make a Sarutobi quit smoking. Can't risk the ashes messing up the seals is all".

Peter scoffed his tongue, "Tell that to your lungs," he then jerked his head towards the house, "So how are we doing this?"

Asuma opened the front door, beckoning Peter inside, "There's a seal in my father's office that allows for a quick summon. By nature of the seal, you just have to put some of your blood on the seal and Enma will reverse summon here, well, not your blood at any rate, it'll only respond to my blood now".

Peter raised his hand, "I'm sorry, 'reverse summon'?"

Asuma shrugged, pulling out a scroll, "It's the technical term for when a summon performs the technique". He unfurled the scroll to reveal the seal. The markings went over Peter's head (and admittedly, his knowledge on written seal was fairly nonexistent) but he could tell that it took a great deal of precision to create. Asuma then pulled out a kunai, and pricked his thumb.

Peter blanched, "Do you have to do that all the time, or is this seal special?"

Asuma shook his head, "Nope, every time you want to summon, you need blood". Asuma then dragged his thumb across the seal, leaving a thin trail of blood. It glowed briefly, and a few seconds later, Enma appeared in a puff of smoke, a large scroll on his back.

The summon nodded at Asuma, then turned to Peter, "So, I assume you wish to sign a contract?"

Peter shook his head, "Nah, just wanted to ask where go you to get your fur styled". Peter gulped at the stares he received, "…That was a joke…commonly used to diffuse tense situations".

Enma rolled his eyes, "I hope I don't regret this," he muttered. He then turned to Asuma, "Sorry Asuma, but-"

Asuma waved his hand, "I get it, you don't want an outsider observing the ritual and all that". He walked towards the front door, "I'll wait outside, lock up when you leave". He left the building.

Enma smiled fondly, "I remember when he was an infant, crying every second of the day…he's grown up just fine". He then cleared his throat, and pulled out the scroll, "So, signing the contract is simple enough,"

"Actually," Enma made a questioning grunt, "There's one thing I'd like to do before we really…delve into all this".

Enma cocked a brow, "Okay, what?"

Peter wrung his hands together, "Well, it's kind of a big thing…" he then tilted his head to the ground, in deep thought. Enma frowned, whatever this was, it obviously meant a great deal to the boy in front of him. Peter then looked up at Enma, "You know how to meditate, clear your mind and all that jazz?"

Enma nodded his head. Peter nodded along with him, "Okay, so, uh, do that, and after a few seconds, well, you'll see. It's nothing dangerous," Peter quickly added, "It's just…private".

Enma frowned once more, but ultimately did as asked. As he sat down on the floor, Peter joined him, "All right, this might feel weird". Enma grunted, and started to focus on his breathing.

However, something different happened. Instead of entering a state of serenity, Enma sensed something…intrusive. Before he could so much as open his eyes however, he felt something akin to being pulled through a door. When he felt himself impact the ground, his eyes opened in shock. They then further widened as he saw that he was no longer in Hiruzen's house. No, this was a vastly different space. It was dark, with red highlights along the walls, floor, and ceiling; but even more disturbing were the countless white threads crisscrossing the room.

"Hey, so...welcome I guess". Peter's voice sounded, but it was different…deeper.

Enma whirled around, and froze at the sight of Peter, an adult Peter from the looks of it, standing at the center of all the white threads- a web, Enma realized- an elderly woman in an ornate chair, wearing a red dress with a white spider adorning the front, along with a red sash around her eyes.

Peter cleared his throat, "So…this is probably going to take awhile".

 **Line Break**

Sasuke sighed as plopped down onto his bed. Last night, after his talk with Peter, he returned to the hospital to retrieve his clothes and equipment. He was then promptly tossed into a room and placed under a scrutinizing watch for inciting a fight on hospital grounds. He was only allowed to leave after a psychological evaluation, the results of which ended with him being unable to leave the village until he was deemed mentally stable.

Any other time, Sasuke would have glowered and silently cursed the staff for preventing him from sharpening his skills. But, after his successive conversations with both Kakashi and Peter, Sasuke could (reluctantly) admit that he was not the most stable when he woke up yesterday.

Another deep sigh, and Sasuke sat up, resting his chin on his hands. After a moment of thought, he got up from his bed and walked over to his dresser. He bent down, and removed a loose floorboard. Slowly, reverently, he reached down beneath the floor, and pulled out a small frame of him and his family, a year before he lost them, a year before his world shattered.

It was one of the few photos he had brought with him. The rest were in his old home, untouched since that night. Every time he looked at it, he was tempted, sorely, to rip Itachi from the picture, destroy every trace of his existence. Yet, he could not, no matter what, bring himself to tear the family apart.

Taking a shuddering breath, Sasuke placed the photo on his nightstand. He needed sleep, and he dared to hope, that the happy, carefree smiles would help him rest, if only a little.

 **Line Break**

Enma rubbed his temples while Peter and Cassandra looked on in silence. "So," he began slowly, "Let me get this straight. Some spider god from some world far across time and space is in charge of some magic web that connects every world to one another?"

"Well, technically it connects dimensions".

Enma growled, "One crazy concept at a time," Peter shut his mouth, "Anyway, your one of this things champions, and as such, it chose you to, what, add this world to its collection?"

Peter and Cassandra shared a look, then shrugged simultaneously, "In brief," Cassandra answered, "That is correct".

Enma nodded, and sent an inquisitive look at Peter, "And you were changed from a grown man to a teenager because...?"

Peter groaned, "Believe me, I did not know that was part of the deal. I was practically forced into agreeing".

Enma nodded his head, "Ok…say I believe all this, why tell me?"

Peter wrung his hands together, "Well, I just thought that, since you wanted to become partners and all that, I should at least give you a toned down biography".

Enma scoffed, "Toned down?"

Peter smirked, "Oh yeah, I haven't even talked about some of the crazy things I've been through".

Enma gaped at the man, and would have said more, had Cassandra not cleared her throat, "In any case, Enma, will you enter into a partnership with Peter in light of this information?"

Enma placed a hand on his chin, and hummed in thought. After a tense moment, he spoke, "Well…at the very least, you've already got a number of years of experience under your belt…Yes, let's do it. Let's sign the contract, before I head home for a very stiff drink".

Peter sighed in relief. Cassandra laid a hand on her forehead, "Oh, I cannot tell you how much a glass of good wine would help me right now".

Peter's face soured, "What do you mean?"

Cassandra sent him a blank look, "There is a reason why I did we did not spend so much time together back when I was alive". Peter grumbled under his breath.

Enma (who was looking for an exit) whirled his head around toward Cassandra, "Hold on, when you were alive?"

His question elicited long, suffering sighs from the two dimensional travelers, "It's a long story". Cassandra then cleared her throat, "Now then, just hold still, I'm sending you back to your bodies".

Enma nodded, and braced himself. The strange sensation returned, and Enma found himself back in Hiruzen's house. He held his head in his hands, he had a small headache, "Ugh, and you have to do that whenever you want to talk to her?"

Peter shook his head, "No, after all, it's my mind".

Enma stared at the man trapped in a boy's body, then shook his head and grabbed the contract scroll, unsheathing a small dagger he had brought with him. He unfurled it about 40 feet in length, revealing six different handprints and names in black-dried blood Peter realized. Reading down the names, Peter whistled, "And all that's written in blood".

Enma snorted, "Yeah, why, you squeamish?"

Peter shook his head; kneeling down to reach a blank spot that he presumed was his, "Believe me fuzzy, compared to the things I've seen, the crap I've been through, a minor bout of blood loss is nothing".

Enma grumbled, handing Peter the dagger, "We're going to have to talk about that nickname…oh! By the way, whichever handprint you put on the contract is the one you'll summon me with". Peter nodded, bringing the dagger up to his right hand, wincing a bit as he cut into his palm. After signing his name, he spread blood along his right hand, and stamped it beneath his name.

Enma handed him a small towel and some bandages, "Well, now we are officially contracted. Here are the signs needed to summon, along with a drop of your blood". Enma slowly went through five signs-Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram, before slamming his left hand to the ground.

Peter nodded, and followed along the signs several times, to make sure he had it right. Then, at Enma's request, he channeled chakra into the signs, while Enma moved to another room in the house. It took Peter a while to properly mold his chakra as needed (he really needed to practice his ninja magic) but after an hour, Peter slammed his hand on the ground, and Enma appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke, a smile on his face. "Nice job," the Monkey King said with a nod.

Peter wiped some sweat of his brow, "Thanks…man that takes some effort".

Enma grunted in affirmation, "Yes it does. Normally, I require more chakra to be summoned, but given your…history, I'm willing to bend a couple rules until you get your chakra up to snuff".

Peter smiled, "Thanks for that," and held out his hand, "Well, here's to the beginning of a really odd partnership".

Enma shook it with a smirk, "May it be a fruitful one".

 **A/N: Good god I have been busy! Barely had any time to write, plus I need to put some work in my other stories (god only knows how abandoned they must feel). Anyway, Monkey King (god I love that title) Enma and Peter are now on their way to a full-fledged partnership. Also, if the little blurb with Sasuke seems a bit lacking for whatever reason, know that I only put it in there for padding (I hope I don't make a habit out of it). Be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **(P.S. Is anyone else having problems uploading documents? Or is my computer that old?)**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

Story Time

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Sasuke woke up when the sun's rays filtered through his window onto his face. With a groan, tired eyes turned to his alarm clock…2:26 p.m. Sasuke looked at the clock in mild shock, he had slept more than 13 hours! Although, compared to the last time his brother used Tsukuyomi, thirteen hours is a very good thing. Slowly, he lifted himself off of the bed, and lazily gazed out the window. He was under house arrest, so he wouldn't have to meet his team for a while, Naruto especially.

Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke looked down at his left hand, the hand that almost killed his (admittedly) closest friend, whom he had not seen since that day on the hospital roof. Sasuke remembered that Itachi had done the same thing, killed his best friend. Was he becoming his brother?

Sasuke shook his head with a growl. No! He is nothing like his brother. He is…He is… Sasuke wasn't sure.

He thought himself an avenger, meant to slay his brother in an effort to right what went wrong years ago. But then he talked to Peter. Maybe it was the fact that a boy only a few years older than him and had so much power. Maybe it was the confidence and conviction in his voice when he spoke about revenge. Whatever it was, something about Peter made him second-guess himself, if only a little.

Sasuke sighed, unsure what to do. A low groan from his stomach informed reminded him that he had so far missed two meals. He decided to eat.

 **Line Break**

"Sorry!" Peter yelled out as he dodged a rock sent his way. He dodged another, "Won't happen again!" He weaved through a dozen more, "Dammit!"

Enma let out a suffering sigh. He had offered to teach Peter the basic skills he lacked, starting with substitution. The first few hours of the lesson went well enough. Peter had the technique down, able to change places with an object up to 50 feet away. Then came the practical use of the jutsu. It was failing miserably. Enma looked down at the now small pile of rocks next to him, a thought forming in his mind, "Peter," the boy turned his head, "We're going about this the wrong way. These next rocks are going to be a lot slower, that should give you some time to actually use the technique instead of dodge out of reflex". Peter nodded- the idea had some merit. Enma lobbed the next rock into the air

Peter easily sensed the rock heading his way, and since it was not barreling towards him, he was able to stay put and go through the five signs needed for substitution. What happened next was a little strange, to him anyway. Enma had told him that part of the reason the substitution jutsu worked as well as it did was because what chakra was not used to swap places with a desired object was used to enhance one's perception, to properly find an object.

Peter's senses were already enhanced beyond that of the average person's, so this extra enhancement made it seem like the world was moving at a snail's place. Peter supposed that it would be some form of help, but at the moment, it was annoying. Still, he found a log some 20 feet away, and swapped places with it. With a puff of smoke, the log fell to the ground where Peter once stood, the rock falling on it after a few seconds.

Enma hummed in thought, "Good…but you're early. It's best if you wait until whatever is coming at you to be a second away, if it's a jutsu especially. That way, your opponent won't have time to cancel their attack and start looking for you".

Peter nodded, walking towards the summon, "Yeah, extra seconds are crucial in any fight,

Enma grunted, "Let's finish up with this pile". Enma started to lob more rocks, and Peter did his best to wait until the last possible second to switch.

Now however, instead of those doubly enhanced senses being merely annoying, they were excruciating. Peter found himself forced to wait as the rocks slowly inched their way towards his body; what was only a few seconds in real time felt like agonizing minutes in his head. As he swapped with a log for the last time, he grimaced, _"Magical ninja swapping is useful, but I better work on it so it becomes second nature, otherwise I might die of boredom waiting for something to try and hit me"_.

Enma rolled his shoulders as Peter walked over, "Now onto a subject I am intimately familiar with, Transformation".

Peter slowly nodded his head, "Right, using ninja magic to just break physics".

Enma felt a vein pulse, "For the last time-"

Peter held up his hand, preempting Enma's correction, "No, just listen. I can deal with all this other ninja magic stuff because I can make some minor leaps in logic to explain why stuff happens".

Enma's irritation left him, curiosity filling its place, "How so?"

Peter started to pace, "Well, for one thing the people of this world are born with an extra body system that creates and expels magic ninja juice," Peter rolled his eyes as Enma cleared his throat, "fine; that creates and expels 'chakra' which people can then harness. The greater the feat you want to do, such as make a giant forest out of nowhere, the greater pool of chakra you need, that's more or less logical. Your illusions work by using chakra to mess with a person's head, that's all right, I've dealt with crazier". Peter took a deep breath, "But transformation jutsu's really irk me, because of their TOTAL disregard for the conservation of matter!" Enma blinked as Peter started to shout, "Especially when you start to transform into smaller people, or objects like Naruto did against Peaches. I mean come on, where does it all go!" Peter started to huff, trying to calm down.

Enma started to tap his foot, "…Are you done?"

Peter let out a great sigh, "Yeah…just needed to get that off of my chest".

Enma shook his head, "Anyway, the transformation jutsu is incredibly versatile, provided you know how to properly use it, observe," Enma made the three necessary handsigns, and in a puff of smoke, transformed into a rock, then a squirrel, and finally, a perfect copy of Peter.

The actual Peter frowned as he walked up to the copy, "Interesting…how good is it?"

"Personally, mine is excellent," Peter's eyes widened in shock at Enma, the voice sounded exactly like his own, "But your average shinobi will more than likely have some imperfection or another in their transformations," Enma made the sign again, transforming into Asuma this time, or rather, it should have been Asuma, but the nose was too large, and his eyes were a lighter shade of black, "Most of the imperfections when transforming into a person will be around the face, and the voice can be particularly tricky to master. But, the better you know whomever or whatever you're trying to copy, the better the transformation".

Peter hummed, filing away that bit of knowledge, "And how long does it last?"

Smoke surrounded Enma, and he was his normal form once more, "As long as you can pump chakra into the transformation. It can be very taxing if you try and use it for a long time, especially if you transform into something that moves".

Peter nodded, "So, where do we start?"

Enma brought a hand to his chin, "Let's start you off with a rock and work from there".

Peter dis as instructed, and was transformed into a rock after a puff of smoke. _"Okay,"_ he thought, _"This is easily one of my top ten weirdest sensations"._

"Good," Enma's voice brought him back to the situation at hand, "a bit larger than your average stone, but that sort of refinement will come with time. Now, stop pushing chakra into your jutsu".

Peter did that, and shook his head clear as he transformed from a rock back to normal, "That was…a bit freaky".

Enma snorted, "Just wait till I have you transform into people, all those little details can ruin your day".

 **Line Break**

Haku winced as he reached for the teakettle on the top shelf, Tora was particularly aggressive today, and Haku was rewarded for his efforts by several surprisingly deep scratches on his arms. He didn't feel they necessitated a trip to the hospital (he had just gotten released), so he bandaged them up and called it a day.

He had just grasped onto the handle when someone knocked on the apartment door. Haku sighed in annoyance, placing the kettle on the table. He wondered who was at the door. He wasn't expecting guests, and Peter said he would be busy until late evening (and regardless of that, Peter has a key). Opening the door, Haku blinked in surprise at the sight of Sasuke standing outside.

"Hello, Haku" Sasuke said, "is Peter here?"

Haku wondered why Sasuke would want to meet with Peter, "Uh, no, Peter said he would be gone for most of the day, is it urgent?"

Sasuke frowned, "No, not really…Goodbye".

Haku frowned when Sasuke quickly turned on his heels to leave. He remembered that Sasuke had caused quite a stir with his stunt on top of the hospital, and it didn't seem right (or safe) to just let him wander on his own. "Sasuke," the boy stopped, "I was just about to make some tea, want some?"

"No," Sasuke replied, moving forward once more.

Haku frowned, and flicked his wrist. A moment later, Sasuke bumped into a wall of ice. The Uchiha turned to Haku with an irritated look.

Haku sent him an innocent smile, "Do you have a preferred tea flavor?"

Sasuke ground his teeth, but calmed down when he realized that waiting for Peter at his home would be less of a time waster than searching for him. "…Do you have any jasmine?"

Haku's smile widened, and he stepped aside to let Sasuke inside.

 **Line Break**

Peter arched his back, moaning at the small pops his spine made, "Man," he rubbed back, "That was tiring".

Enma eyed Peter, "Well, you are starting from nothing…But you should be more exhausted than this".

Peter shrugged, "I've got pretty good stamina".

Enma smirked, "Good, that means that our training can go longer than I thought". Peter hung his head.

Enma chuckled, "We can save that for tomorrow though," he turned towards the sun, just starting to descend "three hours is good enough for today".

Peter rolled his shoulders, "Great…so what, meet up around noon, then stop around sunset, barring any jobs and all that?"

Enma nodded, "Sure, but remember, keep up your training, even in your off hours".

Peter waved him off, "Yeah, yeah, sub out instead of walking, transform after meals, make clones at random intervals, blah, blah".

Enma felt his twitch return, "Are you always going to give me lip?"

Peter brought his finger to his chin, "…Yeah".

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Enma rolled his eyes and formed a sign, "See you tomorrow".

Peter saluted in return, shooting off a web line, "See ya", he swung away as Enma vanished in smoke.

 **Line Break**

Sasuke eyed the clock as it ticked on. He supposed things could have been worse. Haku didn't try and initiate any conversation, which was a godsend, compared to his other peers (except for perhaps Shino and Shikamaru) who felt the need to fill in any sort of silence whenever it occurred.

A thud on the wall to his left caught his attention, and he quickly turned to see Peter enter the room from a window.

Haku didn't even look up, "We have doors for a reason," he drawled.

Peter rolled his eyes, and would have responded, when he saw Sasuke in their living room, "Oh, uh, hey Sasuke, need anything?"

Sasuke stood up with a nod, "Yes, I'd like to continue our…discussion".

Peter hummed in response; "Don't suppose you mind doing it here".

Sasuke's gaze quickly shifted to Haku, who looked at the two curiously, "No, I'd rather not".

Peter sighed, "Figures…tell you what, meet me over at the sixth training field, know where that is?" Sasuke nodded, "Great, so, meet me there in like, fifteen minutes".

Sasuke grunted in affirmation, "See you there," and then leapt out the open window.

Haku followed Sasuke as he walked down the street. When he turned a corner, Haku turned to Peter, "So…what was all that about?"

Peter frowned, pouring some tea for himself "He didn't tell you?"

Haku shrugged, "Honestly, I expected to try and leave after ten minutes, didn't want to push it by asking questions".

Peter shrugged at his answer, gulping down the tea, "You know how Sasuke wants to kill his brother?"

"Obviously".

"Well, I plan on helping him".

Haku's eyes almost popped out of his skull "Hel-excuse me! You want to fight an S-rank missing-nin?"

Peter tilted his head, "Well, maybe not fight him personally, but I plan on preparing Sasuke for the confrontation".

Haku held up his hands in front of himself, "Hold on a moment, 'prepare him'?"

Peter snorted, "Well yeah. The way he's going about it right now, he'll be dead within five minutes".

Haku let out a breathy laugh, "Don't you think it would be smarter to-oh, I don't know-try and keep him seeking his own death in the first place?"

Peter set his cup on the table, a deep frown on his face, "…Haku, you've killed people right?" Haku nodded slowly, "Have any of those kills been out of revenge?"

Haku paused to think on the question. The only incident that came to mind was when he killed his father and those other villagers. But, thinking back on it, that was more of a desperate reaction than calculated murder. "…No, I can't say I have".

Peter scoffed, "Well I have, done things for revenge anyway, multiple times," Haku's brow furrowed, "and it burns at your soul Haku, especially when it's in response to something as horrible as what Itachi did," he shook his head, "Honestly, I can empathize with Sasuke, and if I were him, I'd do the same thing. But he's been getting some very mixed messages on how to achieve his goal. Right now, I just want to make sure he doesn't lose his mind".

Peter walked over to the window. He leaned out, then turned back to look at Haku, "Hey, don't suppose you could keep this between us?"

Haku looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. After a moment, he sighed, "Don't worry…I won't tell anyone".

Peter sent him a small smile, "Thanks buddy".

 **Line Break**

Peter swung down to Sasuke, who was standing next to a tree, tapping his foot impatiently, "So," Peter began, "What you need?"

Sasuke stopped tapping his foot, looking at Peter, "…Could you better elaborate the difference between 'good' and 'bad' revenge?"

Peter brought a hand to his chin, a simple request, with multiple possible answers. Peter decided to consult Cassandra, _"Any suggestions?"_

Cassandra tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair, _"Well…virtually anything Eddie Brock had done as Venom could certainly count as 'bad' revenge"._

Peter titled his head from side-to-side, _"Maybe. Although, I could give Sasuke an abridged version of Kraven's resurrection, specifically my sparing him, as a 'good' example, and everything the Kravinoff's did as a 'bad' example"._

Cassandra frowned, _"Would that resonate well with Sasuke?"_

Peter shrugged, _"I'm focusing on the moral aspects of revenge right now"._ He then turned to Sasuke, "Let's see, back when I first started wearing the red and blue onesie, I repeatedly crossed paths with a guy called Kraven, well, Sergei Kravinoff was his real name, but he liked to be called Kraven".

Sasuke (ignoring the odd names) frowned, "Why?"

"Well, I assume he thought it sounded cooler".

Sasuke bit back a groan, "I mean why did you fight so often?"

Peter sighed, "He was, in so many words, a wackjob in need of professional help. Obsessed with hunting, and was convinced I would the 'ultimate game'". Sasuke grimaced. "Trust me, I'm making it sound worse than it actually was. He wasn't all that tough-' _till he managed to get the drop on me and bury me alive anyway_ " Peter bitterly thought.

"Anyway," he continued, "After a lot of back and forth, Kraven died, killed himself after one last bout".

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"God I wish," Peter slumped against a tree. "A few years later, his family- well, his wife Sasha really, but their kids were willing to go along- gets the idea that, by killing me in a ritual sacrifice, they could bring Kraven back to life. They were under the impression that I actually had a hand in Kraven's suicide".

"What?"

Peter chuckled at Sasuke's incredulous stare, "Heh, yeah, no matter where you go, there are crazy people just waiting in the woodworks. Of course, they couldn't just up and attack me right off the bat, no, they have to go and attack my brother first".

Sasuke perked up, "You have a brother?"

Peter nodded, a small smile on his face, "Yup, Kaine. We had a bit of a rocky start, but I trust him with my life".

Sasuke could hear the affection in Peter's voice, and was reminded of his own brother, and of the utter hatred he held towards him.

Peter took note of Sasuke's dark mood, "Hey," he snapped his fingers, bringing Sasuke's attention back to the present, "Focus. Anyway, my brother comes to me gravely injured, and then I find out the Kraven's family is attacking other spider-people such as myself".

"So, they started a war with your clan?"

Peter shook his head with a frown, and Cassandra felt anxious as old memories started to surface, "No, not really. It was more like a five-on-five fight. Uh…they killed two of us, Mattie and Cassandra- _sort of anyway…poor Mattie,_ " Cassandra's lip twitched downward, "And they, uh, mistook my brother for me, captured him, and completed the ritual using him in my place".

Sasuke held his hands out in front of him, "Hold on, you mean the ritual actually worked?"

Peter sucked in a breath, " _Crap! I forgot people coming back to life isn't common here-_ …Sort of…It didn't work completely because it needed **my** blood, but Kaine was a close enough substitute to at least work halfway".

"So…there are ways to resurrect the dead?" Sasuke's mind raced at the possibilities.

Peter frowned deeply, "Derail that train of thought," Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, "Bringing people back from the dead is something you shouldn't mess with".

"But it's possible?" Sasuke's eyes held a mad glimmer of hope.

Peter sighed, "Look, when someone tries to bring people back from the dead, bad things happen. If, and I do mean if, someone is going to come back from the dead, and it doesn't end in disaster, it's going to be due to some crazy quantum event, or the workings of a deity". Peter pinched the bridge of his nose, "We're veering off topic," he looked over at Sasuke, "Can we leave the whole 'resurrection' thing for another day?"

Sasuke didn't want to drop the subject, but he could admit to wanting to hear the end of Peter's anecdote, so he decided to leave it alone for now.

Peter nodded, "Good. Moving on, I found out what they did to my brother, and that was the last straw. Then Kraven actually had the gall to ask me to end his life". Peter looked down at his hands, "I was…livid, that these people had the audacity to try and mess with my life, and the lives' of others, over something that I didn't even do. I," his voice gained a harsh edge, "I was merciless. I broke bones, broke spirits, repeatedly and without prejudice. I mutilated Sasha's face so that she could come close to feeling the pain she dealt to my brother". He clenched his fists, "And then, it was me and Kraven, just like all our fights before. Only this time, I didn't give him an inch, I didn't want to play around or take my time. I wanted him to pay. I wanted to beat him, his wife and kids, until they were nothing more than bloody stains on the pavement," Peter stopped, forcing himself to take a calming breath.

Sasuke was enraptured by the dark tale, "And …you did right?"

Peter let out a mirthless chuckle, "…No, I let him and his family go".

Sasuke openly gawked, "What! Are you insane? Why would you do that? He murdered members of your clan! His family brutalized yours! You had every right to end his life!"

Peter sent Sasuke a soft frown, "…I couldn't just abandon my principles," Sasuke grew silent.

Peter pursed his lips, "Here's the thing Sasuke, I don't like killing people. I really don't. I'd rather that they get punished by living the rest of their lives trapped in a cell, thinking about what they did to deserve it". He shook his head, "There are a lot of people who think I'm naïve and stupid, and more than a few of them have told me that I'll change my mind sooner of later, but until that day comes, I have to stand by what I believe in. And what I believe in is stopping the bad guys without killing them".

"But," Sasuke was immensely puzzled by Peter's words, "Didn't they deserve it?"

"Oh they did, believe me," Peter cast his eyes downward, "They most certainly did". He sighed once more, "But you can't stoop down to their level. You have to persevere," He looked over to Sasuke, "be better than them".

Sasuke didn't meet his gaze, "…I don't think I can do that," he softly replied.

Peter nodded, "Sure, I can see that. When you meet your brother, it may very well end with his death by your hand. All I'm saying is that you should stay true to yourself. Don't try some stupid ritual, rely on some horrible power," Sasuke unconsciously traced his curse mark, "to get even. Just…don't betray the things you stand for".

As Sasuke contemplated Peter's words, the impromptu storyteller arced his back with a yawn, "Maaaaannn, that was a lot more tiring than I thought it would be. You, you don't want to continue this discussion tomorrow night, do you?" Peter scratched his cheek, "'Cause I don't think it's healthy for me to drudge up these old feelings night after night".

Sasuke slowly shook his head, "No…I-I'll come to you when I want to talk again".

Peter nodded, "Seems fair. Oh! Did you look into any old clan members that moved away?"

Sasuke blinked; that had completely slipped his mind, "Umm…

Peter clicked his tongue, "Of course you didn't". He ran a hand down his face, "Tell you what, pick a date, and you and I will spend that entire 24 hours looking for any long lost family members. Okay?"

Sasuke nodded, "This weekend".

Peter clapped his hands together, "Great, at least three days to recover emotionally from my painful memories". He turned on his heel, "This was a nice talk by the way".

"Peter!" Peter turned to Sasuke, "Your brother, did he-" Sasuke paused, "…is he…?"

Peter smiled softly, "Kaine…recovered…and he's doing just fine, wherever he is". Peter shot off a webline, "Take it easy Sasuke. Oh. And try and talk to Naruto, smooth things over, you know".

Sasuke looked down at his left hand as Peter swung away. Some things were easier said than done.

 **A/N: Not much to say this chapter, I think it's all neatly laid out. As always, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Good Talks

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Deep underground, in the heart of Konoha's officially disbanded ROOT base, Danzo carefully leafed through the reports his agents filed for the day. When his uncovered eye read through a report on Sasuke Uchiha, he frowned deeply. It would appear that, at Peter Parker's insistence, Sasuke was digging into his clan's past, specifically that of exiled members. Sasuke finding one of the exiled members was of no true concern, although the thought of wasting ones time to search for a shred of nostalgia put a foul taste in Danzo's mouth.

No, the problematic part would come if one of these forgotten clansmen or women decided to share their experiences and thoughts of the days leading up to the massacre of the Uchiha. Sasuke himself would more than likely not dwell on those thoughts, but that boy Peter might. Danzo would be a fool to discount the powerful youth's intelligence and cunning. His skills as a sensor were by far some of the best he had ever seen, able to easily see past ROOT's own personalized and top-grade genjutsu. Not to mention the fact that Peter almost literally stumbled on Orochimaru's plans to destroy Konoha. No, Danzo could not safely dismiss the possibility that Peter would not find anything interesting about details surrounding that unfortunate but necessary day.

Danzo tapped his fingers on his desk. Sasuke was the key. Peter himself might try and seek out the truth on his own, but the Uchiha-exiled or otherwise-would never open up to an outsider. He would have to deal with Sasuke, but how. He couldn't have the boy killed; that would raise far too many questions. And Sasuke was still under house arrest; so sending him out on a long-term mission was out as well.

As Danzo played through multiple possible scenarios in his head, the Curse Mark that Orochimaru placed on Sasuke repeatedly come into focus. At first, he banished such thoughts from his mind. It was too risky, the odds of losing the Uchiha too great. But then, he began to think further on Orochimaru, what the disgruntled man wanted. While Orochimaru's complete hatred towards Konoha put him off, Danzo could spin it in his favor. He pulled out a scroll ad brush from his desk. "Hyo!" He called to the darkness, and not a second later a masked figure emerged from the shadows, settling into a deep bow. Danzo spoke while he wrote, "Begin preparations for a mission. I have a letter to be delivered to Orochimaru".

"Shall I infiltrate one of his bases to deliver the message?" Hyo inquired tonelessly.

Danzo shook his head, though he felt a bit of pride that his agent was so willing to enter hostile territory. Still, no point in potentially killing a perfectly good asset, "No, you shall make way for Sora-ku and meet with one of our contacts. If they are unable to send the scroll to Otogakure from there, then you shall sneak into Otogakure and drop off the scroll".

Hyo stood up with a nod, "As you command".

 **Line Break**

Sasuke gazed almost reverently at the small pile of paper in front of him. Shakily, he picked up the sheets of paper, the list of names of exiles from the Uchiha clan. It had taken a long, arduous week of checking through files and old papers, the occasional personal document from previous clan heads, even his father's (which proved to be a different type of struggle). Still, they had done it. Sasuke gulped audibly, the full weight of what he was about to do, those he could find, finally hit him.

Peter cleared his throat, "You doing okay man? Need to sit down?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No," he took a shuddering breath, "I'm fine". He turned to Peter, bowing deeply, "…Thank you for your help," he sincerely said.

Peter smiled, pulling Sasuke upright and patting him on the back, "Hey, what are friends for?" Peter turned towards the market district, "Now come on, we're burning daylight".

Sasuke furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

Peter turned back around, confusion clear on his face, "Well…might as well start finding these people right?"

Sasuke frowned, "Peter, I'm…grateful…for what you did, but I'm doing this by myself".

Peter opened his mouth, but said nothing. He looked down in thought, and after a moment nodded his head with a sigh, "Yeah, sure, this is one of those personal things," he smiled at Sasuke "I get it". He shot out a webline, swinging away, "Just know that I'm here if you need me!" Peter called back.

Sasuke stayed in place for a few moments, steeling his nerves. With a calming breath, he scanned the paper for the first name, and then rushed off.

 **Line Break**

Akira Ise popped his back with a groan. It had been a long day at the shop. He scratched his cheek, chuckling wryly. He had thought having a full-grown son meant that he wouldn't have to man the shop as often anymore. He smiled as he grabbed his cane, oh well; it wasn't like the work was particularly backbreaking.

He rounded the corner home, stopping just short of running into a young teen with dark hair. "Uh, sorry," he said. When the boy looked up, his eye's twitched slightly.

Akira saw the slight movement, but smiled at the youth nonetheless, "It's not bother son. Just be sure to watch where you're going". He kept walking forward, leaving the young boy behind.

"Wait!" the boy called out. Akira paused, a few feet away. "Are you," he hesitated, "Are you Akira Uchiha?" he spoke in a harsh whisper.

Akira stood frozen in place. He closed his eyes with a sigh, _"…I suppose it was only a matter of time"_. He turned to Sasuke, glaring lightly, "Follow me".

Sasuke gulped, "So, you rea-"

"We'll speak of this in the comfort of my own home!" Akira stated walking forward, Sasuke following close behind.

 **Line Break**

Sasuke eyed the small house as Akira opened its door. It's obviously well kept, and he could hear high-pitched laughter coming from inside. A perfectly happy home…Sasuke had to resist the urge to scowl. He would get his answers soon enough.

"I'm home!" Akira announced to the house.

"Grandpa!" A pair of voices announced. Two small children-both of them boys-bounded from further inside, leaping onto Akira who stumbled slightly as he caught the two.

He grunted, "Now, now, Daichi, Hibiki, your grandpa isn't as young as he used to be".

"Oh please," a feminine voice called. An older woman with dark hair stepped out from what Sasuke assumed to be the kitchen, "You've been saying that since you were thirty".

Akira smiled broadly, "Doesn't mean it's not true!"

Daichi giggled, then caught sight of Sasuke. The boy smiled, "Hi! Who are you?"

"I'm, uh, Sasuke Uchiha". Sasuke noted that the woman's (who he assumed was Akira's wife) eyes widened as he said that. She looked sharply at Akira, who nodded solemnly.

His wife clapped her hands, "Come on you two," she called to her grandchildren, "Its time you went home".

Daichi and Hibiki groaned lightly, but stepped away from their grandfather. "Goodbye grandpa," Daichi said.

"Love you," Hibiki added, as both kissed him on the cheek.

Akira smirked lovingly as he ruffled their hair, "Love you too". He stood up, walking over to his wife. He gave her a small, chaste kiss "Stay safe".

She shifted her gaze between Sasuke and Akira, "…You too". She opened the front door, taking her grandchildren out.

Akira frowned as the door closed, and turned to Sasuke. He gestured to one of the chairs, "Take a seat". Sasuke did as told. Akira sat down across from him. He tapped his cane against the floor, ""So…am I the first one you've sought?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, well, the first live one anyway".

Akira nodded, "Right…before we start, I'm curious, how did you find me?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, "Well, we started with-"

"Hold on," Akira interrupted, "'we'?"

Sasuke tapped his foot, "My…peer, Peter Parker, helped me compile the list". Akira hummed, but gestured for Sasuke to continue. So Sasuke told Akira the basic steps he and Peter took to find the exiled members of the Uchiha.

"Huh," Akira strummed his fingers on the table, "That's certainly a lot of work". Sasuke nodded wearily. Akira straightened up, "Right, well ask away".

Sasuke clenched his fists. "Wh-" he paused, "…What happened to force you out of the clan?"

Akira let out a low breath; "It was a little after I turned sixteen". He closed his eyes; "I'm…I'm not going to bore you with all the politics. Just know that I wanted to leave". He smirked, "Thankfully, I never activated the Sharingan".

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Though the Uchiha never went to the extremes the Hyuuga go to in order to keep their doujutsu in house, they were still protective". His voice gained a bitter edge, "I was considered largely unimportant. The only caveat was that I renounce all ties with the clan". Akira let out a wry chuckle, "After the hell I had to go through when I announced my desire to leave, that was just fine with me".

After a tense silence, Sasuke leaned forward, "And…? Is that it?"

Akira shrugged, "Pretty much".

"So," Sasuke gave a breathy chuckle, "They just let you leave, just like that?"

Akira snorted, "Sorry if you expected something more dramatic".

"No! Sorry, its just-"

"I'm sure the others can tell you more varied stories, some of them anyway," Akira added as an afterthought.

Sasuke frowned, "What do you mean?"

Akira sighed, "Not every parting was amicable".

Sasuke shook his head, "Regardless, if we all get together we can-"

"Let me stop you right there, Sasuke," Sasuke gave him a questioning grunt, "Give up that line of thought, it won't end well for you".

Sasuke stood up, sending the chair crashing to the ground, "What do you mean!"

Akira cocked a brow, "…You should really sit down". Sasuke stared hard at him. Akira scoffed, "Boy, I've been a father for 30 years, trust me, you are going to lose this game". Sasuke kept his gaze up for another moment, before cursing under his breath, picking the chair up and sitting down once more.

Akira sighed, "For one thing, we all left the clan for a reason, and as I've said, some of those wounds run deep. Not to mention that we all have families of our own now". Akira sucked in a breath, "Plus, there is…your brother".

Sasuke growled, "He won't be a problem soon enough".

"Regardless," Akira frowned, "We-that is to say, all us exiled folk—slipped under his radar. I think I speak for everyone when I say no one wants to remind or inform him of our existence".

Sasuke was indignant, "But if we stand together-"

"Then all us merchants, carpenters, teachers, cooks, etcetera," Akira waved a hand, "will die like dogs".

Sasuke growled, "You'd rather hide like cowards".

Akira smirked mirthlessly, "It's why I never became a shinobi in the first place".

Sasuke's face darkened. Akira clicked his tongue, "Before you go and blow up in my home, why don't you go and talk with the rest of us, hmm? Spend some time getting your facts straight before you judge us so harshly".

Sasuke grit his teeth, "…Fine…I do have one last question," Akira gestured for him to continue, "Do…do your children or grandchildren have the Sharingan?"

Akira frowned, "No, and I doubt my grandchildren will be able to achieve it, much less their children".

"Why?"

"As far as I know, if two generations of Uchiha go without activating the doujutsu, the third generation is all but guaranteed to have lost the gene".

Sasuke's eyes widened, "I didn't know that".

Akira shrugged, "It's nothing concrete, but then again, only the Byakugan guarantees it's user gain the eyes automatically. It's a matter of 'luck' for us Uchiha".

Sasuke looked down, "So…me and Itachi…"

Akira nodded solemnly, "You are probably the only two living wielders of the Sharingan left alive". He stood up, "Now, it's getting late, and I'm sure you want some sleep after all the work you've done".

Sasuke numbly nodded, and walked out the front door. Akira gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, "Listen son, if you ever need to talk, stop by".

Sasuke sent Akira a grateful smile, and continued on his way.

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru smirked as he read over the letter sent to him by Danzo. _"So, Sasuke is becoming unruly, eh?"_ He chuckled, _"My, what an interesting development"_. He then scowled, glaring down at his mangled arms, _"But I can't do anything with these useless arms!_ "

After bemoaning his fate once more, he sighed, _"There's no way around it…I have to change bodies ahead of schedule"_. He snapped his head up, "Kabuto!" he called out.

The young man stepped into Orochimaru's office, "What is it?"

Orochimaru stood up, "Prepare a new body for me, now!"

Kabuto's eyes widened slightly, "Now? But what about the Uchiha?"

Orochimaru gestured to the letter, "The boy can wait. There is a more lucrative matter that needs attending". Kabuto walked over to the desk, picking up the letter. After reading through it, he sent Orochimaru a questioning look, "Is this really a good venture, Kumo's not exactly the most-wait a moment," he read through the letter again, recognizing one of ROOT's old codes. "…Is Danzo serious?"

Orochimaru grunted, "He wouldn't have sent the letter if he wasn't". He glowered, walking out of his office "Is Kidomaru still recovering?"

Kabuto shrugged, "He should be good for missions in a day".

"And Kimimaro?"

Kabuto blinked, following close behind "Uh, he just went through another round of therapy, a week at most".

Orochimaru nodded, "And what of Jugo?"

Kabuto froze in place, "Uh, pardon? Are considering bringing Jugo into active duty?"

"The idea has crossed my mind".

Kabuto rushed forward to catch up, "He could go mad, attack anything in sight".

Orochimaru smirked, "Well, he'd make a good distraction at the very least".

 **A/N: God, it feels good to write for this story again (even if it is shorter than I would like). I admit I could have gone into more detail as to how Sasuke and Peter made the list, but I didn't want to waste time on that. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

Calms Before a Storm

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Haku rubbed his neck, lazily pulling his mask off. It was nice to be back home after spending the last few days doing patrols in the woods. He smiled; the feeling of a nice warm bath after tiring nights spent sleeping on a stiff sleeping bag will be positively-

 ***BOOM***

Haku jolted at the loud explosion. Then, with a soft groan, stomped over to Peter's room. He shoved to door open, then immediately regretted it as rotten eggs and other horrible smells assaulted his nose.

He turned away from the room, gagging, "Ugh! Peter, what the hell!"

Peter, who had his head hanging out the window, turned to Haku with a wide smile, "Haku! Good to see you!"

"Answer-urp!-the question".

Peter chuckled weakly, "Well, you see, I was in the middle of making acidic and basic variants of my webbing formula. Unfortunately, the main compound that I would have like to use can't be found in the village, so I've been trying to make an appropriate substitute using items that hold common elements-sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, the works-and I was actually working with a sample of sulfur-pure mind you, little hard to come by- and wouldn't you know it, one of the vials knocked into another one which shook a rack with dumped my potassium sample into a beaker full of water. Of course the worst part about the explosion was that it-"

"HEY!"

Peter frowned, looking out the window once more. He grimaced at the sight of his neighbors (at least half of the complex) glaring up at him from the street. He opted for a smile, "Hello all! Kei, I love what you've done with you're-"

"Can it brat!" one of the neighbors shouted, "This is the sixth time in three weeks you've blown something up, and we're tired of it!"

Peter gulped, "B-but it's all done in the name of science!"

"In case you couldn't tell, none of us give a rat's ass!" Another one yelled.

Peter sighed, hanging his head low. "…I'll find another place to do experiments".

A collective sigh sounded from below, "That's all we ask," one of them said, before they all left to about their respective days.

Peter sighed deeply, "Never had to deal with this crap back in Queens, course back in New York they actually had what I needed," Peter muttered. He pulled himself back into the room, "Sorry Haku, what were we…?"

In Haku's place was a giant sheet of ice-blocking Peter's room-the words; 'I don't care, just clean it up,' carved on it.

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru smirked when a trio of ROOT agents flickered into existence, _"Punctual as ever"_.

"Follow us," one of them said.

Orochimaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but followed nonetheless. They led him to one of Sora-ku's more rundown districts (which was saying something). They came to a stop at a small shack. One of the agents opened the door, "Inside".

Orochimaru said nothing, walking in.

He smirked when he saw Danzo sitting at a small table, "Well…I must admit, I still find it hard to believe _you_ would reach out to me".

Danzo frowned, "Believe me Orochimaru, I would rather have you killed, but there are other matters more pressing than you". His gaze fell on Orochimaru's arms, "You seem to have gotten better".

Orochimaru chuckled, "Of course, I am immortal, nothing will keep me down for long" he sat down, "Now, what's so wrong that you need my help?"

"It concerns Sasuke Uchiha".

Orochimaru smiled widely, "Ahh…so, do you want to try and negotiate some sort of release?"

Danzo's lips twitched, "No, I want you to take him".

Orochimaru flinched. He leaned forward, "What?"

Danzo hummed lowly, "The boy is becoming too much of a problem. I would take care of it myself, but ROOT is, as you know, officially disbanded".

Orochimaru chuckled in disbelief, "…That's it, you're just going to give him to me?"

Danzo glared at him, "Don't be foolish! He is too great of an asset to merely hand over. I am saying that I want you to use your curse mark to mold him into a less…rebellious man".

Orochimaru scoffed, "I have been searching for those eyes for years! I won't give them up!"

"Not even for the chance to destroy Konoha?"

For the second time in that conversation, Orochimaru was taken aback. He stared intently at Danzo, "…Have you gone senile?"

Danzo scowled, "Konoha has grown weak. The only way to rebuild is to start from scratch, burn it down and rise from the ashes".

Orochimaru leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a stretch of silence, he spoke, "I will admit, that is certainly an appealing thought". His eyes flashed dangerously, "But you cannot expect me to just give you the boy back".

Danzo spread his uninjured arm out, "Why? As you yourself said, you are immortal".

Orochimaru frowned. Then, after thinking for a moment, a thin grin grew on his face, "My, my…I wasn't aware you supported those old fashioned ideals".

Danzo scowled, "I don't! But for the sake of the village I am willing to do anything".

Orochimaru leaned forward, "Well then, let's talk about just what you plan to do".

 **Line Break**

Peter whistled lowly, eyeing the sizeable shed, "Are you sure you're willing to sell this?"

Haru Matsumoto nodded, "Yeah…it's just collecting dust anyway".

Peter hummed in thought. He honestly didn't expect to find a place so fast…not to mention that it was only a half-a-dozen blocks from the apartment. _"You know,"_ Cassandra, said, _"This place is quite good for the price Mr. Matsumoto is selling it for"_.

Peter nodded in agreement. He looked over his shoulder at Haru, "So, uh, where do I sign?"

Peter walked down the street aimlessly. Haru said it would take a day to get all the paperwork ready, so he figured now would be a good time to finish packing up the rest of his notes and equipment. _"Course, I'm going to need some better security...maybe a large safe?"_

" _Perhaps you could look further into Seals,"_ Cassandra interjected.

Peter rubbed his chin in thought; _"I suppose…I'll ask Enma about it tomorrow"._

Just then, something pinged Peter's spider-sense, and it was getting closer, fast. Instinctively, Peter leapt onto a wall. He turned his head, and saw a massive cloud of dust, a silhouette in front of it. Peering closer, Peter noted that the figure was…upside down?

Peter quirked his lips up as Gai sped past, "Huh…surprised he isn't screaming 'youth'". Curious, Peter swung forward to meet him.

Gai, however, proved to be very fast, and single-minded, as he paid little attention to Peter's calls. Eye twitching, Peter shot himself past Gai, landing right in the man's path.

 _That_ got his attention, and Gai pushed himself off of the ground, flipping over Peter, landing on his hands behind the young man. "Peter!" he shouted with a smile, "You are looking positively youthful!"

Peter smiled in return, "Nice to see you too…so, what's up?"

Gai's smile widened considerably, tears starting to leak from his eyes, "Oh, it's simply a great day to be alive! Lee's surgery has gone of without a hitch!"

Peter frowned, "Wait, that was a week ago. I sent him a box of cookies after the operation".

Gai shook his head, "Right, I mean that soon he shall be released from the hospital, free to follow his dream!" He tried in vain to wipe the tears from his face, "In commemoration of that (along with the fact that I have been at his side constantly for the past few weeks) I am running on my hands around the village until my skin, muscles, and bones wear down from pure joy!"

Peter chuckled weakly, "Why don't we try and avoid that". A thought entered his mind, "Hey…we should throw Lee a party!"

Gai scratched his chin, "A party…what a youthful idea!" He smiled widely at Peter, "I shall begin preparations at once!"

Peter held up his hands, "Whoa there, you've done more than enough for Lee this whole time, why don't you let me help with the arrangements".

Gai frowned, "Are you sure?"

Peter shrugged, "Yeah, feel like doing something special," Peter tilted his head, "Do…do you know anyone in particular that Lee would like to see, or not see?"

"Of course not!" Gai replied, "Lee, like the young man of true youth he is, is friends with everyone, and would be overjoyed if all his friends were able to attend!"

Peter rubbed the back of his neck, "Okay, just invite his peers," Peter muttered. "All right, I'll get back to you to talk about location and other party stuff after you, uh, tire out".

Gai nodded, speeding away on his hands once more.

" _What brought this on?"_ Cassandra asked after a moment of silence.

Peter shrugged, _"Feels like things have been getting pretty heavy around here…a party's the perfect way to lighten the mood"_.

Cassandra hummed thoughtfully, _"As good a reason as any I suppose"_.

 **Line Break**

"So," Haku said as he grabbed some cereal, "you and Gai are planning a party in honor of Lee?"

Peter nodded, counting a stack of envelopes, "Yeah. Gai and me have already made invites-rewriting all those letters from Gai's unique prose took forever-and picked out the location. Now all that's left to do is actually invite people". He held out half to Haku, "Feel like helping out?"

Haku shrugged, "Sure," he muttered through a mouthful of cereal.

Peter smiled in thanks, "Be sure to deliver those before tomorrow," he said as he leapt out the window.

Haku waved absently, grabbing the letters. "Let's see," he mumbled, "Sakura…Kiba…Naruto…Ino…Shino…Tente-" Haku blinked, going back two letters. He reread the name, then groaned, placing his head in his hands, "…Screw you Peter".

 **Line Break**

"Get out!" Sasuke flinched as a book slammed into the wall next to him.

"Hold on, Mrs. Amori" he pleaded, "I'm sure we can just-"

"Get the hell out of my house!" the old woman yelled once more.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but a hand roughly grabbing his shoulder, dragging him to the front door, shut him up. The person holding him, Mrs. Amori's son, pushed Sasuke out the front door. He did, however, look slightly apologetic as he did so. "Listen," he began, "Obviously my mom wants nothing to do with the Uchiha clan, so do her-and the rest of the family-a favor, and leave us alone".

Sasuke stared blankly as the door slammed shut. After a moment, Sasuke scowled, trembling slightly. _"Fine!,"_ he thought, _"Worthless woman…"_ he walked away, _"Who needs her"_.

Though he would like to say she was the only one who turned him down, she was not (though she was by far the most vocal). Everyone he talked to had given similar sentiments. They all said, "It's too dangerous to come back," or "The Uchiha clan never did anything good for me," and then there was the one he hated most, "Those arrogant fools deserved what they got".

Sasuke scowled, this wasn't going as well as he'd hoped.

"Hey, there you are!" Sasuke looked up, seeing Peter swing down in front of him. "How's the search going?" Peter grimaced at Sasuke's dark expression, "…Not good huh?"

Sasuke huffed, "It's…it's not all bad…But no one really wants to do anything…Cowards".

Peter nodded solemnly, "Yeah…I can, I can see why," he smiled, "But hey, I think I know what can cheer you up," he said in a singsongy tone, holding out an envelope.

Sasuke cocked a brow, opening the letter. After reading it, he sent Peter a blank stare.

Peter held out his hands, "Now, now, I know what you're thinking, 'But I can't possibly go, I don't have a proper party outfit'". He chuckled weakly as Sasuke's eye started to twitch.

Sasuke turned around, "…Goodbye, Peter".

Peter then jumped over Sasuke, landing in front of him, "C'mon man, you've been doing this for what, a week nonstop?" Sasuke shifted his gaze to the ground, "Just stop by for a minute, everyone needs a break".

Sasuke closed his eyes with a sigh, brushing past Peter again. Rolling his eyes, Peter put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "Sasuke…C'mon man, take a load off".

Sasuke tilted his head skyward. After a moment he sagged his shoulders, "…If I want to leave, I will".

Peter let go of Sasuke, a smile on his face, "See you there".

 **Line Break**

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the invitation, trembling slightly.

Haku frowned slightly, "A-are you okay?"

Naruto nodded slightly, "Yeah…it's just, I've never been to a real party before".

Haku smiled softly, "Neither have I".

Naruto sharply looked up at Haku, "What should I get?! Bushy brows likes green right, what about a jacket? Or ramen! Everyone like ramen!" Haku chuckled as Naruto continued to ramble.

He waved his hand in front of Naruto, gaining his attention, "I need to get a gift too, so why don't we pick out something together".

Naruto smiled brightly.

 **Line Break**

Kurenai frowned thoughtfully at the invite in hand, "Are you sure you want me there? I don't really know your student".

"Nonsense," Gai shouted, "Besides, Kakashi and Asuma already said yes," Gai frowned, "and it would very unyouthful of you to be the only sensei to not attend".

Kurenai closed her eyes. She sighed, "All right, I'll be there".

Gai gave her a thumbs up, "YOSH!" Kurenai winced, "Now all that is left is to bake Lee the most youthful cake I can!" That said, he sped off.

Kurenai grimaced, "Maybe I'll eat before heading over".

 **Line Break**

Lee smiled gratefully at Peter, "Thank you Peter! This is a most youthful endeavor you and Gai-sensei have undertaken!"

Peter patted him on the back, "Don't mention it, after all the crap you went through, you deserve it".

Lee rubbed the back of his head, smiling bashfully.

Peter looked around, "You know, even though I've been helping set up here for the last few days, the size of this place still surprises me".

Lee nodded, "It is strange to see Gai-sensei's house so bare. I wonder where he put all of his-" a loud ring interrupted him.

"Welcome!" Gai shouted, "You are our first guests-discounting Peter that is".

Peter and Lee walked over to the door. Lee smiled widely when he saw who was there, "Neji! It is wonderful to see you!"

Neji's lips twitched into an almost-smile, "Yes Lee…I am…pleased to see you are well".

Lee started to tear up, "Neji," he wiped his eyes, "It seems that you have finally embraced Gai-sensei's youthful teachings!"

"Don't push it".

While the two were catching up, Peter waved to the other guest, "Hey Hinata, how's it going?"

Hinata smiled shyly, "I-I'm well, as is Neji-nichan".

Peter shifted his gaze to the older boy, "Yeah…he seems less uptight".

Hinata nodded, looking at her cousin, who had what looked like a genuine smile on his face, "Ever since the chunin exams, he has been m-more…at ease".

Peter scratched his cheek, "Good for him". He clapped his hands, starling Hinata slightly, "Well might as well move over to the other room, drop off your gifts, wait for the other guests to arrive. You guys got here a bit early".

Hinata bowed her head slightly, "That's f-fine, I'm sure Neji-nichan would like to talk Lee some more anyway".

 **Line Break**

Peter smiled down at the partygoers from his spot on the ceiling-it was much easier to keep an eye on everyone from there. For example, Sasuke made a conscious effort to avoid interacting with anyone, much to Peter's annoyance. Sakura seemed to be making some form of progress (she was the only one he had yet to completely ignore). Naruto got a response out of him as well, but that ended with both boys glaring at one another, before turning away, grumbling beneath their breath.

Still, other than that, things were going swimmingly. No one was starting any fights and Lee was having the time of his life.

Peter leaned back, a satisfied smile on his face; _"It's times like this that make life worth living"_.

" _Peter,"_ Cassandra intoned, _"Someone would like to talk with you about a…sensitive topic"_.

"Hey," Peter looked down to see Kiba. Kiba fidgeted a bit, "I…I wanna talk to you about something".

"Sure," Peter hopped down a small frown, "What's up?"

Kiba opened and closed his mouth several times. "…What do you know about the creep that hurt my sister?"

Peter's throat tightened. He gulped, fiddling with his collar. "Now's not the time," he muttered lowly.

Kiba growled, "Hana and mom aren't telling me jack, and this is the only time I've seen you for more then a few minutes at a time. I want answers".

Akamaru whined lightly

Peter growled in turn, "And what are you going to do with these huh? You know what, no" Peter pinched the bridge of his nose, "We are _not_ doing this right now".

Kiba grabbed Peter by the shoulders, "Peter…" he started to shake, "I…I just…"

Peter sighed; he didn't want to deal with this right now.

"In all honesty," Peter and Kiba jerked at Shino's voice, "I would like to hear about this man as well".

Peter groaned, "You too? Why?"

"Muta relayed the information that this 'Morlun' person found his beetles," Shino shuddered, "appetizing…suffice to say, this is concerning".

Peter rubbed his temples, "Ok, fine, you have legitimate concerns, but again-"

"What are you guys talking about?"

Peter started to shake his fists in the air.

"Yosh! Peter, what has made you so distressed?"

"Perhaps he is simply tired from helping plan your party Lee!"

"No," Kiba replied, "He's just being tightlipped about-"

"Actually Kiba," Shino said, "Peter does have a point, this is not the best time to talk about this".

Kiba growled, "I thought you were on my side?"

"I just said I would like to be a member of the conversation, not that we should talk here and now".

"Hey, what's going on?"

"I think they're talking about that guy that beat Peter up a few weeks ago, what was his name…Haku, do you know?"

"It's Morlun, and before you ask, no, Peter hasn't really said anything about him or their history".

"Oh my god!" Peter exclaimed, startling the eavesdroppers (read: every partygoer), "Can we please not talk about that wackjob? This is supposed to be congratulatory party on Lee's behalf, so congratulate him!"

Hinata twiddled with her fingers, gazing sadly on the ground, "U-um, sorry Peter".

"Don't apologize on their behalf Hinata".

"…Sorry".

Peter facepalmed. He ran his hand down his face, staring blankly at the curious faces surrounding him, "All right," he ground out, "Who wants to hear about Morlun? Don't be shy".

Slowly, hands started to rise. Peter swept his gaze across the room, arching an eyebrow at the adults in the room. They either shrugged or looked at him expectantly.

" _You do realize you don't actually have to do this, right?"_

Peter huffed, moving over to a chair, _"I know…but I figure now might be a good time to try and further solidify backstory"._

" _Very well"._

Peter turned the chair around, resting his head on the top rail, "All right…who's first".

"Where can I fi-"

"Someone who isn't suicidal," Peter sent Kiba a pointed look.

Kiba bared his teeth, but Akamaru, tugging at his pants, convinced him to stop. Kiba settled for picking his dog up, glowering at Peter.

Shino cleared his throat, "How is Morlun able to absorb Chakra".

Peter shrugged, "Don't know".

Neji cocked a brow, "You don't know?"

"Never had the chance to ask during all those times he tried to kill me". Peter deadpanned.

Neji looked away, face slightly flush.

Peter sighed, "As far as I know, its simply a part of his biological nature, like how a mosquito needs to suck blood from people and animals in order to get properly fed".

"So," Kakashi spoke up, "If he doesn't…feed…he'll die?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah…but he can go awhile without, uh, eating, especially if he doesn't do anything extraneous…he's really good at outlasting people".

Everyone was silent after that, none more so than Shino. Morlun sounded eerily similar to his clan's beetles.

Shino shook his head, "What of your history? Muta said that Morlun called you 'Spider-Man', what does that mean?"

Peter rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh that…it's a…title".

Shikamaru frowned, "Did you pick it yourself?"

Peter sighed, "Yes…"

"Really?"

Ino smacked his arm, "Quiet!" She winked at Peter, "I think it's a very good name".

Peter grumbled under his breath, "At least no one's mocked the costume". He shook his head slightly, "Anyway, back in my village, the name 'Spider-Man' isn't really all that special. It's…one of several titles you can choose to call yourself. My brothers chose to go by the name, 'Scarlet Spider'".

"Hold on," Sasuke spoke up, "I thought you only had one brother".

Peter frowned, "No, I had two…Ben died a while ago".

Sensing the somber mood, Asuma decided to steer the conversation back to a less-well, not as personal topic, "You mentioned that everyone in your clan chose titles for themselves?"

"Yeah," Peter sighed, "There ar-were lots of spiders. You've got your Spider-Men, Spider-Women, Spider-Girls, Spider-Monkeys, Spider-Hams, Spider-Children".

Naruto frowned, "Wait, 'Hams'?"

"Yeah, you know, pigs".

"You're kidding".

"You have a pig with spider powers?"

Peter snorted, "C'mon, don't be ridiculous…He's a spider with pig powers".

"…Moving on," Kakashi said, "Is Morlun one of the members of the clan yours went to war with".

Peter grimaced, "Yeah".

Gai frowned, "Are there…any other members of his clan we need to worry about?"

Peter frowned, "No, it's just him".

"Are you sure?"

Peter sighed, "I already told the higher-ups, if any other members of Morlun's family were here, we would know".

"How do we stop him?"

Several people groaned.

"Kiba…".

"Give it a rest man".

Peter sighed, once more, "Kiba, look at me," Kiba did so, "See this eye," he pointed to his right eye, "The last time we fought, before the war broke out that is, he plucked it right out, and ate it".

More than a few people grew green at this statement. Kiba trembled slightly, "Y-you're kidding".

Peter clicked his tongue, "I wish".

Sakura gulped audibly, "H-how did you get it back...Is it fake?"

Peter frowned, "No, I just got lucky". He arched his back, popping it, "Any more questions?" Silence. "No…well then, that's my cue". She stood up, "I must say, this have been a lovely party, but I think that my story time has soured the mood". He did a grand bow to Lee, "Lee, I am sincerely happy that you're able to join active duty once more". He straightened, "Kiba," he sent the boy a glare, "I'm serious, leave Morlun alone". Kiba shrunk a bit. "To the rest of you," Peter scanned the room, "…I hope you enjoyed the cookies, I spent a lot of time making those". With that said, he left.

 **Line Break**

Jugo looked over himself once more, "Kimimaro," he said in a soft voice, "Are you sure this is okay?"

Kimimaro smiled warmly at his oldest friend, "Of course. Orochimaru-sama is positive that you will be of great help on this mission".

Jugo frowned, "But…what if I-"

"Jugo," Kimimaro interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Even if you do…have an episode, there will more than likely be Konoha shinobi there as well, so the odds of you attacking one of us instead of them is low".

Jugo smiled mirthlessly, "You're really optimistic…Do…do you think we'll find that guy that, uh, beat up Kidomaru?"

Kimimaro scowled, bony spikes forming out of various parts of his body, "I certainly hope so".

 **A/N: Shit's going to hit the fan …not much else to be said. Oh! Peter's new duds are going to be revealed in a chapter or two, so there's that to look forward to. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

Insubordination

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter stood at attention in front of Tsunade. "Peter, do you have any idea as to why I've called you here?"

"No ma'am".

Tsunade grunted, "Okay then. As you may know, we captured numerous enemy shinobi during Suna and Orochimaru's invasion…As of yesterday, Suna and Konoha have arranged a proper truce, and as a part of that, we are releasing all our prisoners back into Suna's waiting arms".

Peter nodded, "Question," Tsunade arched an eyebrow, "What about Orochimaru's thugs?"

Tsunade frowned, "Most of his forces were comprised of missing-nin… We've collected their bounties".

Peter gulped, "Moving on…what do you want me to do?"

Tsunade moved a folder over, "I want you to help oversee the transfer, make sure nothing goes wrong".

Peter grabbed the file, "Seems smart…when do I leave?"

"Tomorrow at ten".

 **Line Break**

Peter took out kunai; slicing his thumb _"Glad I decided to go with fingerless gloves"_ performed a trio of signs, and slammed his hand to the ground.

Enma appeared in a puff of smoke, "A bit early isn't it…?"

Enma looked Peter up and down, "…New uniform?"

Peter nodded, striking a pose.

Enma (rolling his eyes) circled Peter, eyeing the outfit. It wasn't as bright as his old one, that's for sure, and he didn't have any black lines running throughout it. Dull red and dark blue spiraled up his legs, branching out upwards at his waist-with Konoha's symbol etched onto a metal belt holding his pants up- continuing into four lines alternating blue and red. His gloves (fingerless) and sleeves had the same pattern, joining the lines when they reached his chest. His chest emblem was still black, but the head and body were diamonds, and the legs were at sharper angles, both pairs on the top and bottom meeting to form a misshapen diamond. The emblem on his back covered the upper half of it, the longer pairs of legs meeting at his neck and waistline. His mask was still solid red; the only major change being that his eyes, instead of being reflective white, were a glossy black.

Enma rubbed his chin, "Not bad…you would make a killing as a tailor".

Peter shook his head, "Yeah, no thanks". He wrung his hands, "Just an FYI, I'm heading out on another mission and-"

Enma sighed heavily, "For the last time Peter, you don't need to ask my permission or anything like that. We have a contract, if you need my help, I'll come".

Peter hung his head, "I know, I just don't want to be rude".

Enma smirked, "Well, since you're going to be gone for a few days, why don't we review what you've learned".

 **Line Break**

Peter leaned back on a bench, waiting for the ANBU squad who was going to pick him up and lead him to where the Suna prisoners were being held.

Cassandra tapped her fingers idly, the sound reverberating in Peter's skull.

" _Something on your mind?"_ Peter asked.

Cassandra clicked her tongue, _"…Just some trepidations. After all, Suna has in their employ an emotionally unstable teenager who has a demon living inside of him"._

Peter grimaced, _"You're preaching to the choir…but if he's anything like Sandman…well, I can't really spin that positively,"_ something pinged in his spider-sense, _"here we go"._

Peter stood up as a man in a tiger mask shimmered into view. He rolled his shoulders, "You my escort?"

The man nodded, "My codename is Tora".

Peter tilted his head, "…I'm going to call you Hobbes".

Tora twitched, "My codename is Tora" he repeated forcefully.

"Sure…but I'm sticking with Hobbes".

Tora stared at Peter, a dark aura gathering around his head.

Peter's lenses narrowed in turn, gleaming in the sunlight "…You're mask game needs work".

Hobbes grumbled under his breath, "Just, follow me," and jumped to the rooftops.

Peter followed close behind.

"So Hobbes," Peter called out, "How long you been working with the mask brigade?"

Silence.

"Aw come on. If it's about the nickname, I'll have you know that Hobbes is a very flattering name where I come from".

Tenzo scowled heavily, _"Yugao, just for this, you're bed's going to be very stiff"._

 **Line Break**

When Peter and Tenzo finally reached the rendezvous point, Tenzo's other teammates made themselves known. One man, with spiky black hair, wore a bird mask, another man, wore a mask that looked similar to Tenzo's (along with a bandana), but with blue highlights, and a woman with long purple hair wearing a cat mask with red highlights.

Peter waved to them all, "Hey there Gumball, Owly, Yugao".

The two men groaned lightly, while Yugao waved back, giggling slightly.

Tenzo glared at Peter once more, "Their codenames are-"

"Don't bother," Owly interrupted, "He'll never call us by our actual codenames, except maybe for Yugao," he muttered.

Gumball looked over at their female teammate, "Why is that anyway?"

Yugao flicked her hair haughtily, "Obviously he know how to treat a lady".

Someone snorted.

Yugao grabbed her sword, drawing it halfway, "Want to repeat that?"

Silence.

Her sword clicked back into place, "That's what I thought". She turned back to Peter, "But seriously, my codename is Neko".

Peter nodded, "Sure thing".

Gumball clapped his hands, "All right, that's enough chatter, let's go over our formation".

Gumball explained to Peter that they would be in a diamond formation, with Peter smack dab in the middle. He further explained that they would be above the convoy of prisoners, watching from the trees.

"And Peter, for god's sake-"

"Don't worry," Peter cut him off, "I know when to shut up".

"Good". He stood up, "Let's move out".

 **Line Break**

Ibiki grunted, inspecting the seals on the chains on the dozen or so prisoners.

"Hey, c'mon," Anko whined, "This is the fifth check you've done in an hour, the seals are perfect".

Ibiki scoffed, turning away from a shaking prisoner. He walked over to Anko, whispering harshly, "Haven't you ever heard of intimidation?"

Anko rolled her eyes, "These are basically free, why bother," she whispered back. "Besides," she shifted her gaze to the prisoners, "These guys aren't any fun anymore".

Ibiki sighed, "Yeah…it did get boring pretty quick".

He turned back to the prisoners, "All right you pieces of shit! Let's get moving!"

He led them forward once more, a few miles past the Western Gate. They soon met up with the squad that would take over, leading the prisoners to The Land of River.

Asuma took a long drag of his cigarette before stamping it out. "Any new developments?" He asked Ibiki.

Ibiki shook his head, "Everyone is in good health and no one was stupid enough to try anything". He turned on his heel, "Let's go Anko".

Anko smirked at Asuma, "See you later," before heading back to the village as well.

Asuma sent her a small smile, before turning to the prisoners, "All right, I know you all are probably sick of looking at us, but in a few days all of you will be back in Suna, so let's make this as bearable as possible". No one said anything contradictory.

Asuma nodded, "Ok then. Let's get you guys home".

 **Line Break**

Danzo slowly drank tea at his desk, waiting patiently for one of his agents to return. A young man soon flickered into existence, kneeling down to Danzo.

Danzo set his cup down, "Report".

"Things are proceeding smoothly," the agent began, "The Hokage has discovered several 'security leaks'".

"What of Jiraiya?"

"He has been sent towards Iwagakure, as requested".

Danzo allowed a small, cold smile to form on his lips, "Good," he turned back to his tea, "Continue with your duties". The agent bowed a bit deeper, before he disappeared.

 **Line Break**

Sasuke leaned back on a park bench, scowling at the sky. He'd just met with another bitter exiled clan member, who, as seems to be the norm, wanted nothing to do with Sasuke's hope to revive the Uchiha clan.

" _Useless cowards!"_ he internally cried. _"Why can't they see it? Reviving the clan is the best thing we can hope to do!"_

He sighed deeply, _"But…they won't do anything so long as Itachi is still alive"_. He looked down at his left hand. He closed it into a fist, _"And I'm still too weak!"_

He stood up, stalking back towards his house, a sullen expression on his face.

About halfway home, he heard someone say, "You look pretty down kid".

"Go away," Sasuke growled. He didn't want to deal with anyone's misaimed pity.

Someone else snorted in response, "So, this is the famous 'Sasuke Uchiha'…you certainly don't look special".

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. He didn't recognize the two people—a large young man with orange hair growing from the sides and top of his head, and a young woman with long red hair, a cap covering the top of her head—and he certainly didn't recognize whatever uniform they were wearing.

He frowned at the two, "…I really don't have time for this, so do yourselves a favor," he moved forward, "leave me alone".

"Running away? How pathetic," the young woman sneered.

Sasuke ignored her.

The man grunted, "It is too be expected—a weak child from weak village".

Sasuke growled lightly, but kept on walking.

"…And an even weaker clan".

Sasuke froze, "…What was that?"

The young woman smirked, "What's wrong? You deaf?"

Sasuke trembled slightly, "…I'm giving you one last chance…"

"Ooh, scary," they two turned around, "If you really want to do something about it, follow us".

Sasuke eyed the pair as they left. He looked down at his hands, torn between wanting to ignore them, and wanting to put them in their place.

After reflecting on his day, his anger won out.

 **Line Break**

Peter tapped his fingers rhythmically on his arms, staring down at the resting party, _"I don't remember prison transfers being this long,"_ he yawned, longer and louder than he would have liked, _"or this boring"_.

"Could you not do that".

Peter lazily turned his head, "…Would you hate me if I said I was hoping for a bit more excitement?"

"…Hate is a strong word".

Peter scoffed, "…So, what do we do after this anyway? Head back ASAP, stay awhile?"

Before Tenzo could answer, Gumball hopped over to their branch clapping the agent on the shoulder, "Well, if this guy has anything to say about it, we'd head back as soon as possible, the workaholic". Tenzo grumbled slightly.

Gumball chuckled, "We're supposed to stay until everyone from Suna starts heading back. So we'll probably stay in the town for a couple days while they make sure everything is in order".

"Good thing too," Owly said, making his way over, "I heard this place makes some great sake, thinking of bringing some home".

Yugao snorted, "Says the man who can't hold his liquor".

Peter smiled, _"Huh, and here I thought this would all just be awkward and stilted_ ".

Cassandra smirked, _"Give it another minute, I'm sure you'll-GAH!"_

Peter gasped in pain, clutching his head.

Owly leaned forward, "Woah! Peter, what's wrong?"

Peter feebly waved him off, _"Cassandra, what the hell?"_

Cassandra was panting, _"Sasuke…Four people…Seal,"_ she took a deep breath, _"The Web of Life is in peril, and Sasuke is at the center of it"_.

Peter nodded rubbing his temples, _"All right then, guess I'm heading back early"_.

He raised his head, looking at his teammates, "Hey, so…that happened". He stood up, "Well, it looks like you guys have everything under control here, so I'm going to leave now".

The agents were flabbergasted.

"You're…leaving?" Owly managed to croak out.

"In the middle of a mission?" Gumball added.

"...Yeah".

Tenzo shot up, "You most certainly are not!" he said harshly.

"Sorry, but I am. I've got it on good suspicions that things are going down back in Konoha, and I'm going to pitch in and help before things get to bad".

Tenzo scoffed, "'Good suspicions'? What the hell does that mean?!"

"It means I've got a good feeling that something bad is going to happen".

"That's well and good, but that doesn't mean that-"

"Peter," the four men turned to Yugao, "Is…is this the same type of feeling that lead you to Hayate?"

Peter nodded curtly, "Yes".

Yugao sighed, "All right…let him go".

Tenzo whirled on Yugao, "You can't be serious?!"

"Actually Tenzo," Gumball said, "I'm willing to follow along. After all," he shrugged, "A lot of lives were saved thanks to his instincts and 'feelings'".

Tenzo looked over at Owly. The man held his hands up, "I say let him. Even if its nothing, better safe than sorry…can't say the higher-ups would be pleased, though".

Peter shrugged, "That's fine, it was only a matter of time before I did something to piss them off".

Gumball looked over to Tenzo, "You do know we aren't leaving. We'ss still complete the mission, if that makes you feel any better".

Tenzo slumped over, "It doesn't". He lifted his head slightly to look at Peter, "…All right, I know when to back out".

Peter smiled underneath his mask, "No hard feelings?"

"…Hate seems like an appealing word right now".

Peter snickered, swinging away.

 **Line Break**

Sasuke winced, gingerly holding his ribs. He stared at the four people in front of him, shock (and a bit of awe) clear in his eyes. Such power…

The grey haired youth—the name Sakon rattled of in Sasuke's battered skull—smirked down at him. "I'll admit, the level you can use your curse seal at is impressive for someone who has no idea what the hell they're doing. But, as I already said," markings spread from his neck, and along the necks of his three accomplices, "You can't hold a candle to us".

He bent down, "Of course, we can help with that". He held his hand out, "All you need to do is leave this pathetic village behind, and swear allegiance to Orochimaru".

Sasuke scowled. He wouldn't just follow a lunatic...but still, that power.

Sakon chuckled, "C'mon, you have to see it! This place, with all its talk on 'peace' and 'diplomacy', is holding you back!…Why do you think you're brother split town all those years ago?"

Sasuke jerked his head up, glaring at Sakon, his curse mark starting to spread along his body.

Sakon sniffed, _"Not even five minutes and he's already raring to go…no wonder Orochimaru wants him"._

"What is taking so long?"

Sakon cursed, turning swiftly on his heel, "Kimimaro!"

Kimimaro slowly walked forward.

Kidomaru looked around nervously, "Hey, where's…?"

Kimimaro spared him a glance, "Jugo is fine…he is back at the rendezvous point".

Jirobo grimaced, "Are you sure-"

"Jugo will be fine!" Kimimaro cut him off forcefully. He looked over to Sasuke, a soft smile replacing his harsh frown. "Hello there".

Sasuke shifted slightly.

Kimimaro walked closer to Sasuke, "I realize that, from an outside perspective, Orochimaru-sama might seem like a…madman".

Sasuke idly noted someone mutter 'here we go'.

"But," he turned his attention back to Kimimaro, "You must realize, Orochimaru-sama offers us," he gestured to his companions and Sasuke, "All of us, a new life".

His smile widened slightly, "He takes in those of us whom life has stepped down on, abandoned, and gifts us with more than enough power to fight back. All he asks is our total submission. And is that truly a bad thing?"

Sasuke stared wide-eyed at Kimimaro. _"…This guy is insane"_.

"So please, join us".

Sasuke stared at Kimimaro's hand, "…And what if I refuse?"

Kimimaro's mouth formed a thin line. With a cringe-worthy squelch, a sharp bone shot out from the back of his palm. Sasuke flinched backwards, but the spike still found its way to his neck, "Then we have no use for you".

Sasuke gulped. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the harsh visage washed away from Kimimaro's face, "Apologies…I would like you to say yes by the way…Our way of life may seem harsh, but it is not unkind". He extended his hand once more.

Sasuke heaved a great sigh, gazing down at Kimimaro's hand once more.

 **Line Break**

Sakura hummed happily as she walked out of Ino's family's shop. Reflecting back on her childhood, she couldn't help but chuckle at the stupid reason she and Ino stopped being friends (although, that didn't mean she was going to just lie down and let Ino worm her way into Sasuke's heart).

She sighed, gazing up at the night sky. It was far later than she told her mom she would be out. She grimaced; she was in real trouble now.

As she rounded a corner, rushing home, she crashed into someone.

She yelped as she fell down, "Ow!" She grit her teeth, "I'm sorry about...eep!" She could feel the blood rushing to her face when she say who she ran into.

"Sasuke-kun!" she scrambled up, "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you, I was just-"

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice cut through her rambling, "It's fine".

Sakura sighed in relief. She then got a better look at her crush, "…You have a mission, now?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze, "…No". He moved past Sakura, "Goodbye".

Fear seized her heart. She had thought, over the past few days, Sasuke was getting better. That maybe, he was finally happy.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out to him.

Sasuke sighed, "Leave me alone Sakura".

She ran up to him. "Do…aren't you happy!" He froze.

"I-I mean, after your fight with Naruto I was worried, worried that you didn't want to stay wi—in the village," she took a shuddering breath. "But, then you came to Lee's party".

"Sakura, I'm serious, leave".

"And you stayed!" A shaky smile crept onto her face; "You stayed with the rest of us, even with Naruto there. And after that, you started going on missions with us again. And, and I swear I could see you smiling, and having a good time, and, and"

She blinked as Sasuke disappeared from her view.

She felt a chill go down her spine as his breath hit her neck, "…Sorry".

She felt a sharp pain on the base of her neck.

 **Line Break**

Kimimaro smiled softly, "I knew you'd come".

Sasuke scowled, "Let's get this over with".

 **A/N: Next chapter, Shikamaru is forced to grow some balls and lead his fellow children to what may be certain doom. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**

 **P.S: It didn't feel right to not include a variant of the scene where Sakura fails to keep Sasuke in the village. I don't know if it works well…Oh well.**

 **P.P.S: I hope the description of the costume was coherent enough for you guys to picture.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

Hitting the Fan

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

"I am truly glad that you have decided to join our cause".

Sasuke clenched his jaw. "You can stop with the meaningless praise. I'm doing this for myself, nothing more".

Kimimaro stopped, turning around, a small frown on his face. He stared blankly at Sasuke.

Sasuke felt beads of sweat crawl down his neck.

Then, to his relief, a smile found its way onto the powerful youth's face once more, "You'll change your mind, in time". He turned around, leading Sasuke once more.

After a few minutes of silent marching, they came upon a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing were the four people he met earlier, and a large container.

"H-hello…"

Sasuke spun around, grabbing a kunai from his pouch on instinct. A boney hand quickly latched onto his shoulder, stopping him in place.

"Don't," Kimimaro softly stated.

Sasuke looked behind him, giving Kimimaro a small nod. After Kimimaro let him go, he turned to get a better look at the person who got the drop on him.

He eyed the orange haired and eyed boy, "…You must be Jugo".

Jugo smiled uncertainly, "Yes…"

The two stared at each other in awkward silence.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakon called out, "Get over here!"

Sasuke sent Jugo a curt nod, "…See you".

Jugo waved slightly in reply.

Sasuke walked over to Sakon. Sakon then gestured to the container, "In you go".

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, "What?"

Sakon rolled his eyes, "In order to fully unlock the Cursed Seal, you need to be put in a state of near death. The container—in conjunction with a couple ninjutsu that you don't need to worry about—helps speed the process along".

Sasuke eyed the container warily, "…Is there another way?"

Sakon smirked cruelly, "Sure…just hold still while I clip your jugular".

Laughter sounded around them.

Sasuke scowled. He blinked when Sakon shoved a pill on front of him, "Take it," the young man said, "And we can actually get started".

Sasuke grabbed the pill. It felt heavier than he thought it would.

He looked up to the moon.

With a slight tremble, he popped it into his mouth, downing it in one gulp.

 **Line Break**

Sakura fidgeted slightly. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess.

"I think she's coming too".

She frowned. The voice, somewhat deep and masculine, was fairly familiar.

"I think I saw her eyes move!"

"Ino, sweetie, step back. Give her some room".

Sakura brought a hand up to her forehead. Memories of the previous night started to filter though.

Sakura's eyes shot open.

"Sasuke!" she yelled as she sprang up.

"Hold on!" Ino's mother said gently, holding Sakura's soulders. "The smelling salts may have woken you up, but you shouldn't be moving so suddenly".

Sakura pushed her hands away, slowly shifting to her feet. "I have to go to the Hokage, Sasuke is in trouble".

Ino's father bent down to face her, his face set in a heavy frown, "What do you mean?"

 **Line Break**

Inoichi sped towards the Hokage's tower, holding onto Sakura.

He skidded to a stop in front of the building, letting Sakura down, "Sorry if you're a little dizzy".

Sakura rubbed her temples, swaying a bit, "It's fine. We need to hurry".

She pushed against the doors, falling forward a bit when Inoichi shoved them open.

"Sorry".

Sakura, suppressing a growl, moving forward nonetheless.

She rushed up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Relief washed over her when she saw a secretary nodding off at his desk.

She ran up to the desk, slamming her hands down, "Is Lady Tsunade here?!"

The secretary jolted in his seat. He rubbed his eyes, "Wha?"

"Is Lady Tsunade in her office?!"

The secretary scowled, "Lady Tsunade has been working hard all day. Come back tomor-"

Sakura clenched her fist, "It's about Sasuke Uchiha! I think he's left the village".

The secretary narrowed his eyes. At that moment, Inoichi entered the room. He sent a curt nod to the secretary.

The secretary nodded, "All right, head inside".

Sakura absently nodded, rushing through the door.

Tsunade looked up from the paperwork on her desk, frowning at Sakura's desperate look, "What's wrong?"

As Sakura relayed her tale, Tsunade felt the veins on her forehead pulse more and more rapidly.

" _Damn it!"_ she internally cried, _"I knew I should have put a better security detail on him!"_

She shifted her gaze to Inoichi, "And you couldn't find any trace of him?"

The man looked down, "No…I was more worried about Sakura's wellbeing than searching for traces of her attacker," he somewhat shamefully admitted.

Tsunade rubbed her eyes, "That's all right".

"Lady Tsunade?" a muffled voice called from behind the doors.

Tsunade, Sakura, and Inoichi all turned towards the new voice. An elderly man entered the room. "I have something I need to tell you".

Tsunade frowned heavily, "I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of something very important".

"It's about Sasuke Uchiha".

Sakura rushed over to the man, "You know Sasuke?!"

The man twitched slightly, "Yes…I'm…Akira Higo…I'm a relative of Sasuke's".

Sakura gasped, and Inoichi's eyes narrowed, "That's a lie!"

Akira scoffed, "Cause I would lie about that," he glared lightly at Inoichi, "Use your head boy!"

Inoichi flinched a bit at Akira's forceful tone.

Akira sighed, reaching into his robes. He pulled out a piece of paper, walking over to Lady Tsunade, "This was attached to a kunai, which flew through my window, embedding into my bed".

Tsunade grabbed the paper from his hands. As she read it over, her mood worsened.

 **Line Break**

" _Five followers of Orochimaru approached me._

 _Leaving with them from the North._

 _At least six total._

 _Send for the Hokage._

 _-Sasuke Uchiha"_.

Shikamaru read through the message twice more, "And we're sure this isn't a trick?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yes. We've confirmed that this is indeed Sasuke's handwriting".

Shikamaru sighed, "Ok, Why me?"

Tsunade frowned heavily, " I don't really have much of a choice".

Shikamaru groaned, "All right…who am I bringing?"

"Your peers—barring Peter—are the only ones I can spare".

Shikamaru frowned, before adopting his thinking pose.

After a moment, he stood up, eyes set in a determined glare.

 **Line Break**

Naruto rubbed his eyes, "Hnh? Shikamaru, wha?"

"Sasuke's in trouble".

Naruto immediately woke up. He stared hard at Shikamaru. "What's wrong?"

Shikamaru turned around, "I'll fill you in later. You know where Haku, and Kiba live?"

"Uh…

"Do you?!"

Naruto shook his head slightly, "Not Kiba".

Shikamaru nodded, "All right, you know where Neji lives?" Naruto nodded, "Ok. Tell those two to gear up, if they can, and head over to the Northern gate".

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru looked at the rising sun before turning to his team. Naruto, Haku, Lee, Neji, Kiba, and Choji. He grimaced, if only Peter were here…He shook his head. No time to worry about those things.

He looked over to his left, "Thanks for helping me round them up".

Shino nodded curtly, "No problem. My only complaint is that my hive cannot withstand cold temperatures," he spared a glance at Haku, "…that and I don't have the endurance".

Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah…You would've been useful".

Shikamaru clapped his hands together, bringing his six teammates attention to him. "All right boys, listen up. Sasuke's been captured by at least six of Orochimaru's followers. Our only goal is to find them, rescue Sasuke, and bring him back. Got it?"

Six heads nodded in reply.

"Now, our formation will be-what?" He looked over their heads, glaring at four approaching figures.

Kiba, with his attuned senses, smelled who they were. He turned around, "Ino, Sakura, Hinata…you…what are you guys going here?"

Hinata shrunk in on herself, "I'm sorry, I tried to stop them".

Tenten scowled, "Quiet Hinata. And you," she pointed to Kiba, "My name is Tenten, and we're here to help".

Shikamaru groaned, "No you're not".

Ino crossed her arms, "Sasuke's out friend too".

"It's not up for discussion".

Tenten growled, "Being real sexist there".

Shikamaru grit his teeth, "It's not a matter of gender, but usefulness".

"What?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily, "You guys won't be of any help!"

Lee frowned, "There is no need to be ru-"

"No, Lee, let me finish".

He pointed to Ino, "You're biggest selling point is your family jutsu, but I'm not willing to risk you losing your mind against a superior opponent". Sakura, "You have a concussion". Hinata, "You're basically a weaker version of Neji".

"Hey!"

"Naruto let me finish!" Shikamaru pointed to Tenten, "You're greatest skill won't be of much use in a dense forest".

The girls all had varying degrees of acceptance at his statements (ranging from Tenten's barely controlled rage to Hinata's sad but accepting smile).

Shikamaru sighed, "If it makes you feel any better, Shino's staying behind too".

After a moment of silence, he turned to his team, "Now, about the formation—"

Akamaru barked.

"Oh, what now?!"

Kiba inclined his head. Despite himself, he smirked, "Good news Shikamaru, Peter's back".

Shikamaru and company stared at him, "What?"

Something landed with crash in front of them all with a loud _crash_ , sending a large amount of dust up in the air.

Haku made a sign, and a cool breeze swept the dust away, revealing the panting figure of Peter. He looked at the large group, heaving. "Hey…guys…what's…up?"

Shikamaru blinked, "I thought you were on a mission".

"I...was…technically am," he bent over, holding a finger up, "Give me a minute…I've been swinging for at least…ten hours".

Shikamaru shook his head, "Whatever, better for me. Now, about that formation—"

"Naruto?"

Shikamaru internally screamed.

Naruto walked over to Sakura, "What's up?"

Sakura fidgeted in place, tears pooling in her eyes, "I…I need you to…please, bring Sasuke back!"

Naruto raised his eyebrows a bit. But then a wide smile grew on his face, "Of course!" He sent her a thumb up, "I promise, I'll bring Sasuke back".

"Great, you made a promise" Shikamaru groused, "Now can everyone who is not coming with please leave?!"

Shino walked away first, sending the team a small wave, followed by Tenten, still with a scowl on her face, and then Ino.

Sakura took Naruto's hand in her own, tears streaming down her face said, "Thank you," and left.

Hinata looked down at the ground, "Um…good luck Naruto-kun…and everyone else," she quickly added, face flushing slightly. She quickly headed home.

Shikamaru tapped his foot, "If there aren't any more interruptions, I'm going to go over our formation".

He grabbed a stick, and started to draw into the dirt "Kiba, you're on point. Your sense and geographical knowledge will be able to lead us to Sasuke quickly, as well as sniff out potential traps. After you is Haku—who can provide cover if and when we need it—and myself—so I can relay orders to you verbally, and everyone behind with hand signals. Right behind us will be Lee, Naruto, and Peter. You guys have quick reflexes, so you'll all be able to assist in either the back or the front. Rounding us out will be Choji and Neji. Choji, you may not be the fastest, but you'll be able to hit hard when the rest of us create openings. Neji, you'll keep an eye on our rear with your Byakugan".

He stopped drawing, looking up at his teammates, "Any questions?"

Peter slowly clapped his hands. He whistled, "Man, that is impressive".

Shikamaru stood up, a small smile on his face, "Thanks". He stretched, "All right boys, form up!" He smirked as they did so. He sidled in beside Haku, "All right, let's go!"

 **Line Break**

"And that is all I can say about the four creeps I saw with Orochimaru," Peter concluded.

Choji audibly gulped, "They sound scary".

"And they can all do that seal thingy?" Naruto asked.

"Yup".

Lee frowned, "I remember when I saw Sasuke use it. It is a very unyouthful ability".

Shikamaru scowled, "Regardless, we'll have to do our best to either avoid contact, or knock them out quickly".

A low whistle halted the conversation, causing the group to stop.

Shikamaru looked up at Kiba, the whistler, and signed, 'What's wrong?'

'It's the scent' Kiba signed back, 'it's all over the place'.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder, 'Neji, are they nearby?'

Neji made a sign, activating his Byakugan. "They aren't in a fifty foot radius…hundred foot…there!" He deactivated the jutsu, "They are resting approximately 250 feet away…I don't see Sasuke though…there is a container though. I think he's in there".

Naruto smirked, "Well, what are we waiting for?!"

Shikamaru held out his hand, as Naruto sped past, "Wait dammit!"

Thankfully for the Nara, a webline stopped Naruto in his tracks.

Shikamaru hopped over to Naruto. He cursed, "Look," he said, guiding Naruto's sight with his fingers.

Naruto blanched when he saw several strands of wire in front of him. He shivered, "Thanks, Peter"

"No problem".

Shikamaru shifted and moved in front of the wires, "Troublesome…some of the wires are invisible from certain viewpoints, and I can't find an angle where they're all in sight".

He snapped his fingers, "Haku, make a large fog and disperse it in front of us".

Haku nodded, forming a sign as he did so. A ball of cold, white air formed in front of him, which then spread out in front of them. As it spread further, light began to glint off of multiple strands and groups of wire.

Choji grimaced, "That's a lot of wire".

Peter peered closer at maze ahead of them, "Not wire…spider webs," he grunted, "The Pitiful Spider-Scrub probably planned to use vibrations to pick up anyone following them…smart, all things considered".

Shikamaru tapped his cheek, "…Easiest thing to do would be go around…but that would waste a lot of time". He eyed the wires. There were gaps, but they were either very small or far apart. No normal human being could hope to…

Shikamaru sharply turned to Peter, a smirk on his face.

 **Line Break**

" _This is almost pathetically easy,"_ Peter frowned as he weaved through a cluster of webs.

" _You want this to be harder?"_ Cassandra scoffed good-naturedly.

"… _Shut-up,"_ Peter shot back. _"Still no insight as to what our 'friends' are planning?"_

Cassandra sighed heavily, _"No…Whatever Sasuke is goong through is seeping through the Web, damaging it. It's all I can do to keep the Web from unraveling…this is going to set us back so much"_.

Peter grimaced, flipping over a few strands of webbing, _"Don't remind me"._

 **Line Break**

"Are you well, Jugo?"

Jugo, breathing heavily, looked up at Kimimaro, "Yes," he turned to the Sound Four, "I'm sorry that I'm slowing you all down".

The four collectively scowled. Although, none of them were suicidal enough to badmouth Jugo in front of Kimimaro.

Jirobo spared a glance at the container, "…It's fine I suppose…According to Orochimaru, no one should be on their way. We have time".

"Or not," a voice sang out from the trees.

All six sprang to their feet. Sakon glared at Kidomaru, "I thought you said you laid out traps!"

"Oh he did. Unfortunately for the scrub," Several white globs shot out from the trees onto their feet, rooting them in place. A figure, in a strange but infuriatingly familiar get-up, dropped from the tree line, "He can't hold a candle to a genuine article".

Kimimaro glared hard at Peter, "You!" he hissed.

Peter tilted his head, "…Have we met?"

Jagged, black markings spread from his neck, and sharp bones sprouted from Kimimaro's feet, breaking through the webbing. He rushed towards Peter; off-handedly, five sharp bones sprouted from his arms, flying off towards his trapped teammates.

He formed a large, bleach white sickle from his elbow, swinging it at Peter.

Peter, nonchalantly, bent backwards to avoid the sickle. He snapped his leg up, hitting Kimimaro Square in the chest, sending him up into the air. He shot a hand out, a thin cable of webbing attaching to the charging body of Jirobo. He yanked on the line, pulling Jirobo forward. He hopped up slightly to avoid the large foe, twisting in the air, puling on the webline again, forcing Jirobo to the ground.

Peter idly heard a series of musical notes, twitching slightly when his vision started to spiral. Trusting his spider sense, Peter back stepped. He felt the wind brush past his face, and a second later heard several _thunks_ on both sides.

He heard the notes once more, and with a growl, shot a webline to his left. He pulled back when it snagged the flute, and crushed it in his hands; smirking at the slew of curses the flute player sent his way.

He turned around abruptly, catching a powerful blow in his hands. As his vision cleared, he gazed inquisitively at the gray jackhammer like device attached to the orange haired kids arm. Idly noting the shocked look on the boys face, he swept his arm to the side, sending the boy into a tree, keeping him in place with webbing.

Peter turned around, smirking at the incredulous look on the white-haired man's face, "Seriously, have we?"

 **Line Break**

The rest of Shikamaru's squad watched the chaos from a distance. Choji rubbed his eyes, before staring wide-eyed once more, "…You guys get the feeling we weren't really needed?"

Kiba scoffed, "Please…Peter's just showing off".

Choji turned to look at him, "You don't sound so sure".

Haku snapped his fingers, "Hey!" he whispered harshly, "We can worry about our inadequacies later. We have our orders, see them through!"

Kiba nodded, "Yeah, yeah," his nose twitched; "Hold on," he sniffed the air, "someone's nearby".

Choji and Neji tensed, "Who?"

Kiba sniffed the air, "I don't know…it isn't one of them…but I feel like I know it". He scowled, closing his eyes to think, _"Who the hell is it?!"_ he thought. _"It's…reptilian…sterile…is that gel...Wait!"_

His eyes snapped open. He and Akamaru spun around, baring their teeth and growling lowly.

Haku and Choji turned as well. "Who is it?!" Haku repeated.

"It's him!"

Choji frowned, "That doesn't really say much".

A soft chuckle came from behind them.

Haku threw a dozen needles over his shoulders, and then spun around, forming several more needles in the air around the trio, poised to strike.

The voice chuckled once more, and, to Haku's shock, the needles he had just thrown were thrown back, breaking the needles he had just made.

Orange eyes glowed from the treetops, twinkling with cruel amusement.

 **Line Break**

Peter snickered, "Geez, even with those sporty tattoos, you guys aren't any trouble".

Kimimaro's nostrils flared. This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. He looked down his arms, sparing a glance to the other members of the Sound Four (minus Sakon and Ukon, who were searching for other troublemakers, and Jugo, who was stuck to another tree). He cursed; it would be insulting if all of them had to enter their second cursed state just to deal with one opponent, but he couldn't see any other options.

"G-g-g-g-GRAH!"

Peter (and the Sound members) swiveled their heads towards the sound. Peter's lenses quirked at the sight of Jugo's skin, all of it, turning grey, as well as the sclera of his eyes turning black, and the pupils turning gold.

Peter frowned when small spikes shot out from Jugo's body, slicing the webbing holding him in pace to ribbons.

After landing on the ground, Jugo, with a crazed stare and manic smile roared into the air.

Peter clicked his tongue, "…Your last name wouldn't happen to be 'Banner' or 'Ross', would it?"

Peter let out a small yelp when Jugo—far quicker than before—dashed forward and swung a fist at him. That small yelp became a loud yell when Jugo's hand morphed into a clamp, which attached to Peter's waist, and pulled him forward.

The pair rocketed through the trees.

 **Line Break**

Naruto stared wide-eyed at Jugo's transformation, "Woah…that's weird".

"Focus Naruto," Shikamaru scolded him, "You and Lee still need to keep an eye out," he turned back to the task at hand, "What now Neji?"

Neji's brow furrowed, "…There's another seal just five feet to your left…Stop!" He licked his lips, "I don't recognize the symbol".

"And you never will!"

Neji and Shikamaru hopped backwards to avoid a flurry of kunai.

Shikamaru cursed, "Dammit Naruto! Lee! I told you to-!" He turned to look at the two, only to see the two of them engaging a separate foe.

He turned to Neji, "How many clones!"

Neji weaved a small sphere of chakra, blocking more projectiles, "None! They're two separate beings!"

Shikamaru grunted, jerking his head towards Lee and Naruto. Neji gave a small nod, and moved with Shikamaru to stand back to back with Naruto and Lee. "Alright, we've gone over this, you guys kn-"

"Run!"

"Move it!"

The four Leaf and two Sound shinobi looked on in surprise when Haku and Kiba (the former clutching Akamaru to his chest curiously enough) sped past.

Before Shikamaru could say anything, a large hand wrapped around him, and pulled him away.

He heard Naruto yell out indignantly, "Ack! Choji, what the hell?!"

"Trouble," Shikamaru tensed at the quiver in his best friend's voice, "Big trouble".

 **Line Break**

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes at the rapidly retreating Leaf shinobi. "Sakon! Ukon! What happened?"

Sakon rolled his neck as he and his brother merged into one body, "No clue. Ukon?"

"Maybe they all got scared when they saw their buddy get dragged off by Jugo".

"Or," the five Sounds zeroed in on the new voice, "Maybe the children are smart enough to know when they are facing a superior foe".

They glared hard when a large man in strange, yet immaculate attire, stepped out of the woodwork.

The man smirked cruelly, "I wonder, will you come to the same conclusion?"

 **A/N: Man, I'm on a roll! (Don't get used to it, cause I know the next chapter's going to come out for another few weeks. The only reason this one is out as soon as it is is due to the fact that I'd written half of it for the last chapter, but decided that it didn't flow). But yeah, I'm in a good mood. Peter's being dragged away by one of the only people who can give him a decent fight (if you want to follow my reasoning, send me a PM), Morlun scared the living shit out of Shikamaru and co., and the Sound Five are in for more trouble. Yes…good times. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Mission (finally) Clear!

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Jirobo let out a deep breath as he felt his curse mark shift over his body. He cracked his neck, idly observing Kimimaro make a bone flute for Tayuya.

"Are we actually going to fight," the well-dressed, large man in front of them said with a smirk, "Or are you all going to continue posturing?"

Jirobo growled, jumping ahead of his comrades. He swung his right fist into the man's face, smirking when he hit flesh. That smirked morphed into a look of concern when the man didn't budge.

The man looked down at Jirobo, eyes glowing with amusement, "Is that all?" he scoffed. He slammed his palm into Jirobo's chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. The man leaned down, "I have killed actual children who can hit harder than that," he whispered into Jirobo's ear. He shoved his palm further, throwing Jirobo into a tree behind the rest of the Sound Four.

The man held his hand in front of his face, observing his fingernails.

At the sound of a lot of grunting and growling, he looked over to the Sound Four, cocking a brow at the sight of their transformations. He snorted at the color changes and horns growing out of their heads, but did take note of the white-haired youth's bones shooting out of his body.

The man sighed, "Very well," he rolled his shoulders, "I suppose I can have a bit of a snack before he arrives," he grimaced, "Even if you all smell horrible".

 **Line Break**

Peter punched at the appendage currently wrapped around his chest. He growled a bit when he saw his fists leave visible dents in the arm, only for them to fill out in seconds.

"GRAH!"

Peter bit back a yell when Jugo swung his arm forward, slamming Peter into a tree trunk.

Peter shook his head slightly, lenses widening in alarm when Jugo's free arm morphed into a large hammer, shooting towards his face.

Peter quickly brought up both hands to catch it, grunting as he did so.

Jugo frowned heavily, and started to apply more force to his arm.

Both young men trembled as they tried to gain the upper hand.

Then, Jugo's other arm started to squeeze around Peter's waist.

Peter gasped, momentarily losing focus, allowing Jugo to push his arm forward, the head of the appendage now inches from his face.

Gritting his teeth, Peter pushed forward, ignoring the feeling of his hip getting crushed. With a surge of strength, he shoved Jugo's arm aside, and quickly sent a glob of webbing at Jugo's face.

Jugo roared as the projectile hit him. He reformed his hands, and started to claw at his face, giving Peter the chance to swing away.

When he got far enough away, Peter rubbed his ribs, _"Don't think anything's broken…"_

" _You should head back to the others, they will need your help"_ Cassandra said urgently.

Peter shook his head; _"I'll just lead Hulk-lite back to them. No, I need to deal with this, here and now. Still, I'm going to need some back-up"._

Peter pulled a kunai from his pouch, cutting his thumb. He quickly went through three handsigns, and then slammed his right and on the branch he was squatting on.

Enma appeared in a puff of smoke. He cracked his neck, "What's the-"

Jugo roared.

Enma narrowed his eyes, "Ok, answers that question". He then transformed into his staff form, landing in Peter's hands.

Peter twirled the staff in his hands, _"Say, how durable are you anyway?"_

Enma grunted, _"Stronger than diamond. By the way, this is telepathy thing still weird"_.

Cassandra sighed, _"At least you get a break every now and then"._

" _What? Cassandra, are you telling me that you get tired of always being in my head?_ "

" _What was your first clue?"_

Enma cleared his throat, _"Shouldn't we focus on the rampaging grey child shouting a few meters away?"_

Peter nodded, _"Yeah…Hang tight!"_ He told his partner as he leapt forward.

Jugo, having managed to pry the webbing off of his face, whirled around, a harsh snarl on his face as he tried to find Peter.

At the sound of leaves rustling, he turned around, fists morphing into hammers.

He scanned the treetops, growling lowly.

His face morphed into a twisted smile when a familiar shape shot out from above.

With a roar he shot his arms forward, extending them to crush his foe.

When his fists passed through his target, he let out a confused grunt.

Then, a large black staff slammed into his chest, sending him flying.

Peter let out a low whistle as Jugo crashed through a large tree, "You know Enma, I don't think I ever thanked you for those tutoring sessions".

Enma growled, "Talk later, fight now!"

Peter rolled his eyes under his mask, "Yeesh," he mumbled as he swung towards Jugo, "Just trying to be thankful".

Peter chose to ignore Enma's annoyed groan.

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru, after being deposited on the ground by Choji a few hundred feet away from their objective, glared at, "All right, what the hell was that about?"

Haku (the only one who was not hyperventilating or looking over their pet) answered. "We," he gulped, "Morlun attacked us".

Lee, Naruto, and Shikamaru paled.

"…You're kidding," Shikamaru breathed.

Kiba, satisfied that Akamaru was unharmed, shook his head, "No. I recognize the scent".

Lee pounded his fists together, "No matter friends! If we work together, surely we can defeat this man!"

"I…highly doubt that Lee," Neji shakily said.

All present turned to the Hyuuga, who was staring in fear at the battle, Byakugan active.

"None of you can see it…but that man is a monster. Those other five…he's treating them like flies…and-!"

Neji yelled out as a fist impacted his cheek.

Neji rubbed his cheek, glaring at Naruto, "What was that for!"

"Stop psyching yourself out!" Naruto yelled

The blonde looked over his group, "So he's a bit stronger than us. Who cares!?" He pointed to Neji, "Everyone thought you were going to kick my ass, and looked what happened".

Neji smiled wryly, "Fair point…"

Naruto smiled, "Besides, we're the strongest Genin in Konoha! There's no way that creep can beat all of us!"

Lee pumped his fists, "Yosh! That's the spirit!"

Shikamaru cleared his throat, "As nice as this talk is, let's not forget that out main objective is to grab Sasuke and head back to Konoha. Fighting Morlun is not even an afterthought".

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Oh…right".

Shikamaru sighed, "Anyway," he entered his thinking pose, "Give me a minute to think up a decent plan".

 **Line Break**

Morlun smirked as he twisted out of the way of an arrow, much to Kidomaru's growing anger.

A shrill tune filled the air, and Morlun arched an eyebrow as three giants appeared from white smoke. He then frowned as his vision started to blur.

With an annoyed growl, he leapt forward, twisting out of the way of a swing from one of the giants's weapons, towards Tayuya. He shot his arm out, his speed catching the girl by surprise.

Tayuya let out a strangled choke as Morlun's arm slammed into her throat. Morlun then bent his arm inward, grabbing Tayuya by the hair, and snapped his arm out once more, throwing her in front of Kimimaro.

Kimimaro held out his arm, forming several dull bones, which caught Tayuya. "Genjutsu seems ineffective, focus on your oni".

Tayuya clenched her flute tightly, a bitter retort crawling up her throat. But, she held her tongue, doing as requested.

Back with Morlun, the man was currently weaving between a combination of giant attacks, and Kidomaru's arrows.

"Earth Style!" Morlun turned his head slightly, brow creasing at the sight of Jirobo hefting a large chunk of earth above him. "Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!" Jirobo threw the giant rock forward, aiming for Morlun.

As the three giants quickly backed away, Morlun huffed in annoyance, "Throwing rocks?" he drew a fist back as the projectile grew closer, "How droll".

His arm shot forward like a piston, stopping the rock as he hit it. A split-second later, cracks formed where his fist met the rock, then spread throughout it. It crumbled away soon after.

Morlun wiped dust off of his sleeves. A rustling of leaves above him caught his attention.

He lifted his head up, stilling at the sight of a giant, black spider in the middle of a web, Kidomaru on its body next to a large, white, bulging sack.

Morlun chuckled when Kidomaru sliced open the sack, allowing hundreds of tiny spiders to fall to the earth.

The newly born spiders quickly fell around Morlun, dragging thin threads across his body.

Morlun arched a brow as more and more spiders spun threads around his body, cocooning him. Just before the threads covered his head, he heard an arrow knock into a bow, and looked up to see Kidomaru aiming down.

When Morlun's head vanished into the cocoon, Kidomaru let the large arrow loose.

The cocoon burst, however, and Morlun easily caught the arrow. Kidomaru could only look on in shock as Morlun slowly looked up, a smug smirk resting on his face. Then, Morlun swung his hand out, grabbing several of the small spiders. To Kidomaru's horror, Morlun opened his mouth, and stuffed the spiders in his mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately, eyes alight with amusement.

After a moment of staring in horror, Kidomaru yelped as his summon disappeared, his footing along with it. He scrambled in the air, barely catching a branch.

Morlun rolled his eyes.

An object whooshed through the air.

Morlun swung around, smacking a bone out of the air with the arrow in hand.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of a dozen more bone spikes soaring towards him.

He twirled the arrow like a staff, swinging it with precise and quick strokes, knocking the bones off course.

He then spun on his heel, jabbing the arrow forward, smashing it into a bone shield. Kimimaro jabbed his other arm forward, only for Morlun to catch the bone that jutted out from his arm.

Morlun clicked his tongue, "Quite the stalemate we have here".

Kimimaro frowned heavily, "…Not really".

Large bones jutted out from the ground all around Morlun. The man grunted, twisting his body to avoid getting skewered. Unfortunately for him, that did not stop the bones from slicing through his clothes.

Kimimaro stared hard at Morlun, "…That should have drawn blood".

Morlun, slowly, turned his head to face the white-haired youth, "…You ruined my suit".

Kimimaro's frowned deepened, "You have more pressing concerns".

Morlun frowned as well, before jerking forward as a large weight fell on his back. He shifted his head, and started into the eyes of a long, red demon with a horn jutting out of its forehead, long white hair covering the rest of its face.

The figure tore through the back of Morlun's suit, melting into his body

A head soon morphed out from Morlun's back, laughing madly, "You're mine now!"

A similar figure came into Morlun's view, "Nice job Ukon!"

Kimimaro raised his hands, "Yes. Now, hold still, I don't want to damage you more than necessary".

Ukon grinned, "Of course, who do you ta-what is this?" Ukon's eye widened, "S-something's wrong!"

Sakon stepped forward, "What?"

Ukon started to melt, "H-he's absorbing me!"

Sakon burst forward, "Hold on!" He called out to his brother, reaching for his shrinking head.

Bones snapped, and Morlun's hand wrapped around Sakon's neck. Sakon clawed at the hand, tears streaming down his face, shouting obscenities, all to no avail.

"Sako-o-o-n!" Ukon's voice, along with his head, grew smaller, "He-l-l-p…brothe-e-e-r…pl-e-e-e…" and Ukon was no more.

Sakon stopped struggling, staring blankly at the spot his brother was. Morlun let go, Sakon landing in a heap.

A dark glint shone in Morlun's eye, "…Losing family is always hard, isn't it".

"Y-you," Sakon trembled. He shot up for Morlun, "I'll kill you!" he roared.

Morlun sighed disinterestedly, grabbing Sakon by the neck again. He stared the raving young man in the eyes, "…No, you won't". He clenched his fist, and a large crack sounded around them.

Morlun brought Sakon's limp body closer, observing it, "Hmm," he tossed the body aside "what a useless transformation".

Kimimaro glared at Morlun, "These transformations are a gift! Graciously given to us by Lord Orochimaru!"

Morlun chuckled incredulously, "You're priorities are certainly strange".

 **Line Break**

Jugo groaned as he bounced off of a tree, righting himself on a nearby branch. He growled when webbing spun around him, wrapping around his body. Jugo struggled against the webbing, only succeeding in falling off the branch. Falling on his head didn't stop him from trying to escape, though.

A few meters away, Peter rolled his shoulder, "I forgot how much I hate healing factors".

Peter peered down at Jugo, "Still, he's slowing down, hasn't busted through my we-there he goes".

Peter sighed, leaning against the tree trunk, "Okay…Enma, you said can form a cage out of clones right?"

Enma grunted, _"Way ahead of you…just get me close"_.

Peter nodded, swinging forward down to Jugo.

Said young man noticed Peter, and quickly brought his hands up, morphed then into hammers, and shot them forward.

Peter twisted to avoid strikes, jumping landing on his left arm, running down it.

Jugo grunted, before swinging around, trying to shake Peter off. But Peter held on.

Jugo, growing more and more frustrated, retracted his right arm slightly. He then morphed his hand into a crude axe, bent his arm at an unnatural angle, and swung at Peter.

Peter leapt away, Jugo's blade slicing into his arm.

As Jugo howled in pain, Peter threw Enma at Jugo.

Peter's aim was solid, hitting Jugo square in the chest. As Jugo gasped slightly, smoke erupted around him.

When it cleared Jugo's eyes widened at the large cell—made of multiple copies of Enma's staff form—he was trapped in. Jugo whirled around trying to find an opening. When he couldn't find one, he opted to bang his fists all over the cell.

A line of webbing attached to Jugo's face. He felt a tug on the line, and grunted in pain when he face smashed into one of the bars of the cell.

He growled, moving back, only to be pulled into the bar again.

Peter and Jugo repeated this a few more times, before Jugo fell back, breathing heavily, his gray skin slowly turning back to normal.

Peter leaned forward, panting, _"Glad that's done"._

Enma grunted, _"He's got a hard head, I think I actually felt that last one"_.

" _I don't suppose you have a plan to deal with this young man?"_ Cassandra asked.

" _Umm…"_ Peter intelligently replied.

" _I can take him back home, hold him until we can find a more permanent solution"_.

Peter hummed, _"You sure? He might wake up, go crazy again"_.

Enma mentally shrugged, _"I once stayed like this for a week, protecting Hiruzen from a rockslide. This is nothing"_.

Peter nodded, "All right then," he said aloud. He walked over to the cage, patting one of the bars, "Thanks for the help buddy".

Enma's head appeared from one of the bars, smirking, _"Call if you need me"_. He then disappeared in a large puff of smoke.

 **Line Break**

A somewhat short monkey with dark brown fur was walking near a large estate, humming idly.

A large amount of smoke erupted in front of him, making him jump high in the air.

When he landed, he tilted his head in confusion at the large, black barred cell, what looked like a human lying inside it. "Lord Enma?" he asked, slowly moving forward.

Enma's head formed from one of the bars, "Ah, Goro, good to see you".

"And you as well, Lord Enma". Goro pointed towards the body, "Who is that?"

Enma grunted, "Some brat named Jugo who can transform. I'm holding him until things die down over on my summoner's side".

"Ugh," Jugo groaned lightly, "Where am I?"

Enma grunted, turning to face Jugo, "You're currently imprisoned, by me, in my home country".

Jugo, sitting up, said, "I see…so…I failed".

"Yes," Enma bluntly replied.

Jugo sighed thoughtfully, "…What now?"

Enma cocked a brow, "You aren't mad".

"Not really," Jugo said, "I…I knew this was a mistake".

"What do you mean?" Goro, who had been content to silently watch, asked.

Enma sighed; he didn't have time for teenage melodrama.

Jugo looked up at the sky through the bars, "It's a long story".

"I've got time," Goro said. The young monkey looked expectantly at Enma.

After a moment, Enma rolled his eyes, "I suppose we have some time to spare".

 **Line Break**

Morlun sighed as what remained of the (now accurately named) Sound Four glared at him. He smirked, "Why don't you all just leave, hmm?"

Tayuya growled, "Like hell you freak!"

Morlun crossed his arms, "Be gracious that I'm even giving you the opportunity".

Kimimaro growled lowly, bones growing from all around his body, "We would all die before failing our mission!"

Morlun sighed, "You zealous types are so annoying," he muttered.

In the blink of an eye, Morlun dashed forward, striking both Jirobo and Tayuya in their stomachs. He swung his arms outward, throwing them at Kidomaru and Kimimaro, who jumped out of the way.

Morlun continued forward, stopping just in front of the large container Sasuke rested in.

Morlun grabbed the container with one hand, turning it over, "This doesn't really look like much, if I may say".

Morlun then turned around, moving the container in front of him, "Ah-ah, I doubt you'd want to break this".

Kidomaru knocked an arrow, Tayuya blew into her flute, and bones sprouted up around Morlun. "Let it go," Kimimaro growled.

Morlun scoffed, turning the container to hold it with both hands. He squeezed, causing it to bend slightly. "I'd rather not".

The container rattled.

Kimimaro smirked.

Morlun cocked a brow, and turned the container upright. Dark smoke started to filter out from the top.

The container exploded in Morlun's face.

Sasuke dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. He slowly stood up, inspecting his body—his skin now dark gray as opposed to its standard pale—a blank expression on his face.

Morlun cleared his throat.

Sasuke whirled around, his left hand curled into a fist, aiming at Morlun's stomach.

Morlun caught it with ease.

With his other hand, Morlun picked a piece of wood from his hair. He then turned his attention to Sasuke, who struggled in Morlun's grip. "…You're what all this fuss is about?" Morlun twisted Sasuke's arm sharply, a loud crack echoing in the woods.

Sasuke glared hard at Morlun.

Morlun sighed, sending a swift quick to Sasuke's right leg, eliciting another sharp crack, and a small gasp.

He tossed Sasuke—panting heavily from the pain—behind him.

He smirked at Kimimaro once more, and then was forced to dodge a giant's strikes before he could say anything.

Jirobo and Kimimaro leapt forward, Jirobo throwing multiple punches at Morlun, and Kimimaro swiping his bones. Kidomaru stayed at a distance, taking careful aim.

Kimimaro reached Morlun first, and summoned several bones from the ground. Morlun weaved between the bones as they sprouted in front of him. He reached out to grab one of the bones sticking out of Kimimaro's body, but the bone broke apart when he touched it.

A _*twang*_ caught his attention, and he ducked low, a yellow arrow whizzing overhead.

Jirobo, who closed the distance between him and Morlun, grabbed the man's head, and slammed it into the ground.

Growling lowly, Morlun elbowed Jirobo in the stomach, forcing the young man to back off. He then pushed himself off the ground and into the air, avoiding another arrow and several bone spikes. One of Tayuya's beasts then slammed its hammer into him, carrying him into a massive tree, which broke under the force of the blow.

Morlun flew in the air, a look of distaste firmly nestled on his face. He twisted in the air as he neared another tree, grabbing its trunk with one hand, sliding down it.

When he touched the ground, he shifted his head to the side, avoiding another arrow. He then plucked the projectile from the tree, and threw it at the giant whose upper body was in bandages. It soared clear through its throat, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

He ran for the other two giants, dodging several more arrows and bones along the way. He hopped up the club wielding giant's body, punching it through its face—forcing it to disappear—and then grabbing its weapon. With a small grunt, he swung it around in the air, braining the other giant, causing it to disappear as well.

When he landed, he spun around a couple times, and then let the club fly towards Kidomaru.

Morlun sighed when he saw the young man dodge the weapon.

He then perked his head up, and after a moment, allowed a small smile to grace his face.

Kimimaro frowned, "What are you smiling about".

"…You are all terrible at your job".

Kimimaro froze, and then whirled around to where Sasuke lay, only to find it devoid of the youth.

He snarled, "Why were none of you watching him?!" he shouted to his comrades.

"Sorry, I was a bit busy trying not to die to a goddamn monster!" Tayuya yelled back snidely.

Kidomaru then leapt high above Morlun, weaved through several hand signs, and then shot out a large web at the man. It stuck to him.

Morlun eyed the sticky substance critically. He then looked up, grinning at the retreating figures.

He flexed, easily breaking the webbing.

He then sniffed the air. After a moment, he smirked broadly, turned around, and sped off.

 **Line Break**

Kimimaro and what remained of the Sound Four ran in a diamond formation—Kimimaro at the head, Jirobo at the end. They had already put quite a bit of distance between them and the beast of a man, and were now following the subtle tracks left behind by the Konoha shinobi.

Tayuya growled at Kidomaru, "What the hell happened to those webs of yours anyway?"

"They're still there!"

"Well why the hell didn't you catch them?"

"I wasn't in contact with them!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Jirobo harshly whispered. He jerked his head towards their leader, "I doubt Kimimaro is in the mood to hear you bicker".

Kimimaro then barked out an order to stop.

Kidomaru huffed, "What n-" he then saw the trail branch off in several different directions.

Tayuya cursed, "So what, we split up?"

Jirobo frowned, "That would be wise".

While the three talked it over, Kimimaro peered closer at the paths. He then gasped, and whirled around, a snarl on his lips.

Jirobo noticed him first, "What?"

Kidomaru leapt over them, "We're going the wrong way!"

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder, "How's the healing process going?"

Haku sighed, tossing aside the now empty case of ointment as he kept pace with Lee, who was holding a sedated Sasuke, "About as well as it can under the current circumstances," Haku replied.

"Would you like me to slow down?"

"No Lee," Haku said, "Time is of the essence. Besides," he looked behind him, "The sooner we put those guys behind us, the better".

"Sasuke!" Naruto leapt up next to Lee, "Are you okay?!"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru said, "I take it you guys are done?"

Naruto tore his gaze away from his injured friend, smiling widely at Shikamaru, "Of course! The others are just ahead".

Shikamaru sighed, "Good…You feeling okay?"

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I believe Shikamaru is speaking of the dozens of clones you made to throw those people off our trail," Lee said.

"Oh that," Naruto scratched his nose, a proud expression on his face, "That was nothing!"

"Shikamaru!" The four conscious boys turned to face Neji, who had his Byakugan active, "Morlun is approaching!"

Shikamaru grimaced, "And the others?"

"They are out of range".

Shikamaru sighed, "Ok, then we'll have to work fast".

His friends nodded, and then vanished with bursts of speed.

A few moments later, Morlun leapt into view.

He paused, sniffing slightly. He sighed deeply, "Hiding now, are we?" he mumbled.

Then, to Morlun's mild interest, a cool fog rolled in.

"This is certainly different," he idly observed.

He heard rustling off to his side, and turned to see two people jump out from the brush. He cocked a brow when he saw that it was the boy in the hooded sweater, and a clone of the boy.

"Fang over fang!" one of them yelled, and both started spin in the air, moving forward in mini-cyclones.

Morlun groaned in mild disgust, "This again?" He drew his leg back, then his eyes widened in shock when he found he could not move.

His eyes darted back and forth (the fact that he could not move his head was another point of panic). He struggled against the invisible force, and started to twitch, but whatever held him down would not let go. The two cyclones grew closer, and he decided to forgo escape for now, opting to brace against the coming attack.

A bewildered expression grew on his face when the two cyclones suddenly veered off course. It transformed into a knowing glare when a young boy with long hair stepped out from behind the cyclones, veins popped out around his eyes.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" he yelled, and Morlun seethed as the boy proceeded to quickly strike sixty-four points on his body, cutting off his already minimal movement.

The boy quickly leapt away, and the ground started to rumble.

Morlun shifted his gaze to the side, and almost slouched at the sight of a large boulder hurtling towards him.

The boulder impacted, both bouncing off of him and shoving him forward.

Another sound, akin to wind whirling in the air, caught his attention yet again. He followed the sound to see a pair of blond boys in orange, one assisting the other in forming a blue sphere of energy in his right hand.

"Rasengan!" the boy yelled, dashing forward.

Morlun attempted to twist out of the way, but the blonde stepped in turn, and slammed the sphere into Morlun.

Morlun gasped, he could feel the attack mutilate his organs, and was launched forward yet again.

Morlun crashed into a tree, splintering the bark. He quickly sprung off, landing on his feet. He looked for one of his attackers, glaring at his surroundings—he would be sure to drag out their suffering.

Something blurred in front of him, and Morlun sucked in a breath as a foot connected to his chin, lifting him high in the air. He felt someone follow him as he soared in the air, and grit his teeth when what appeared to be bandages wrapped around his body.

"Front Lotus!" another boy, it would seem, screamed in his ear. Morlun grunted as he was propelled towards the ground in a harsh spiral. They crashed, eliciting a large cloud of smoke.

The smoke dissipated to reveal Morlun lay on the ground, glaring at the sky.

An object struck the ground to his rightside, followed by a booming crash on his left, after which a felt something long and thin push into his chest.

Further inspection revealed it to be a kunai and large weight, connected by metal wire.

Four more kunai and weights crashed down, the wires effectively pinning him to the ground.

He shifted his body upward, growling in distaste when he could only barely move.

It was then that he noticed the mist begin to coalesce.

Despite himself, Morlun smirked at the sight of dozens of large mirrors forming in the air around his prone form, closing together to form a dome of what he assumed to be ice.

The figure then drew back its arms, and hundreds of projectiles flew from the mirrors at Morlun.

Morlun scoffed, the projectiles—needles, now that he had a closer look—bounced off his body.

He shifted under the wire once more, lifting a few inches off the ground.

He smirked, turning his head to look at one of the figures.

It was then that he noticed some kunai interspersed with the needles, and he wondered what the paper attachment on its hilt was meant for.

Then, the paper exploded.

 **Line Break**

Haku let out a breath as leapt out of one of his mirrors. When he landed, he looked back on his dome, smirking when he saw that it did not crack under the force of the explosion.

He dashed forward, leaping through the trees for a few moments before catching sight of his friends.

He let out a whistle, waving to them when the turned around.

Haku sped up, quickly falling in with them.

Shikamaru smiled gratefully, "Thank god. I had my doubts it would actually work".

Naruto smiled broadly, "What are you talking about?! Of course it was going to work!"

"That creep didn't stand a chance!" Kiba added. He snickered, "Can't wait to rub in Peter's face".

"What?" Neji asked, "That we took out a foe that gave him trouble," he ignored Kiba's affirmative grunt, "…after we let five other people have a go at him?"

Kiba scowled, "Don't ruin it".

Lee laughed, "Ah," he shifted slightly, adjusting Sasuke (who he held on his back), "it is good to laugh with friends".

"I'm just glad we made it out in once piece," Choji muttered.

Sasuke groaned loudly from Lee's shoulder.

"…We should hurry," Haku said.

His companions nodded.

Suddenly, after several long moments of silence, Akamaru, who nestled firmly in Kiba's hood, yipped loudly, fearfully.

Kiba faltered, missing a branch and falling down.

Haku moved quickly, dashing down to catch Kiba, grunting as he did so.

"Are you alright?" Lee asked.

Kiba shook slightly, "…That's impossible…"

Neji, frowning heavily, activated his Byakugan. His eyes widened immediately.

Shikamaru paled, "No…he's not".

There was a burst of movement out of the corner of his eyes, and there Morlun stood, right in front of them.

He was breathing heavily, glaring hard at the youths in front of him; his clothes—rather, the rags that were not obliterated—still smoldering from the explosion that tore them apart.

"I suppose," he said in an almost too calm voice, "Some congratulations are in order. After all-oomph!" a pair of red clad feet slammed into his chest, throwing him backwards.

Peter landed in front of the young shinobi, looking over his shoulder. "Nice job destroying his clothes, that ought to really piss him off". He jerked his thumb to the side, "Now get Sasuke back to Konoha, I'll tie up the loose ends". That said, Peter shot out a webline, and swung toward Morlun.

After Peter vanished among the trees, Haku cleared his throat, "Well…that's that". Then the seven (eight counting Sasuke) shinobi sped away.

 **Line Break**

Peter quickly found Morlun—who was picking himself up off the ground—and shot out two web lines on either side of the man. Peter pulled himself down, slamming his feet into Morlun once more.

Peter kept his feet firmly planted on Morlun's chest as the man was flung back, creating a large gash in the earth.

Peter then flipped off Morlun, landing in a crouch.

Morlun stood up, shuddering as he did so. He glared hard at Peter, nostrils flaring, panting lightly.

Peter sniggered, "Man…they really put you through the wringer huh?"

Morlun shot forward with a burst of speed, forcing Peter to bend backwards to avoid a hit. Peter brought his knee up, hitting Morlun in the stomach, then shot at web at his face, pulling harshly at the thin cord, punching Morlun, as he got close.

Morlun leaned back as the blow connected, flipping in the air before landing on his feet. With a low growl, he ripped the webbing from his face, eyes glowing with rage.

Peter smirked under his mask, "How about we cut the crap and get to the part where you tell me how you got here, and how I can send you back to that irradiated wasteland you and what's left of your family call home".

Morlun sneered, "Or I can kill you where you stand!"

Peter sighed, shaking his head as he did so, "That threat kind of loses its effect considering the fact that you just got your ass handed to your by a bunch of pre-teens".

Morlun roared, rushing forward once more.

Peter shook his head slightly, dodging to the side.

Morlun swung his arm out, which Peter dodged once more. Then to Morlun's horror, a long stinger shot out from Peter's wrist, whish Peter preceded to stab into Morlun's shoulder.

Morlun cried out in pain, quickly backing away, wincing at the squelching sound of the stinger pulling out from his shoulder. He brought his other hand over the wound, slightly stemming the flow of blood.

Peter gestured to the stinger, "See, problem with this thing," he tapped the stinger, "is that, well, most people die when they get stabbed". Peter stepped forward, "But you can take it," his voice gained a hard edge, "Can't you big guy?"

Morlun trembled slightly, and then spun on his heel, leaping away.

He felt a web line attach to his back, a harsh tug pulling him to the earth.

"Really?" Peter sniggered, "Man, haven't seen you like this since you turned into that weird scaly thing after I first beat the crap out of you…What the?"

A strange marking on Morlun's thigh—which was previously covered by a now utterly destroyed cloth—entered his vision. Peter hopped forward, tearing more tattered cloth out of the way, to fully reveal a jagged five-pointed star resting in a circle.

Peter frowned, "Uh…I didn't know you liked tattoos. Though I've gotta say, I pegged you as the type of guy to get some random Chinese script, or maybe one of those 'MOM' tattoos".

Morlun growled, but soon quieted. He chuckled wryly, "…At least I can rest easy, knowing that you've managed to anger someone that can punish you in ways I can only dream of".

Before Peter could so much as utter a confused grunt, the mark started to glow orange. Fire quickly erupted from the mark, forcing Peter back with a yelp. The flames quickly spread to the rest of Morlun's body.

Peter could only watch in morbid fascination as Morlun burned. The man twisted his body to clearly look at Peter, eyes glowing harshly. The body soon turned to ash, those glowing menacing eyes the last part of his body to float away with the wind.

Peter whistled, "That was…something…"

Cassandra cleared her throat; _"I suggest…filing this away for a later date"_.

Peter nodded, shooting a webline into the tree line, "Yeah, still got Orochimaru's fan club to deal with," he mumbled as he swung away.

 **Line Break**

Kimimaro eyed the large patch of scorched grass, but ultimately moved forward.

After a few seconds of silent movement, Peter swung into view, landing on a branch just in front of him and the rest of the Sound Four.

Peter sent them a jaunty wave, "Howdy".

He leapt out of the way of several bones.

Peter crouched on a tree trunk, "Are you done?"

He caught another spike in his hands, inches from his face, "…You done?"

Kimimaro seethed.

"I'm just going to start talking now," Peter idly flipped the spike in the air, "You guys failed. Now, don't give that look," he admonished the four glaring his way, "It happens to the best of us. And because I'm feeling generous, I'll offer you a trade".

Peter pricked his thumb on the spike, made three signs, and summoned a large black cage, which rested precariously on a few branches.

Jugo perked up in the cage, "Kimimaro!" he called to the white haired youth.

Peter gestured to Jugo, "I'll give you him, and you guys leave us alone".

Tayuya scoffed, "Do you we think we're stupid or something?!"

"That's besides the point".

"The hell you say?!" she snarled.

Kimimaro held up his hand, cutting her off, "…We can still take Sasuke back".

Peter snorted, "Yeah. You'll just have to go through at least half of Konoha's military force".

Silence reigned between them. Jirobo rolled his shoulders, Kidomaru made an arrow, and Tayuya brought her flute to her lips.

Kimimaro just sighed deeply, "…Very well".

His comrades all shouted indigently.

"Enough!" he said, reverting his transformation. "We failed, and we must bear the consequences".

He hopped over to Jugo's cage. He looked over at Peter, "…You realize we will bring Sasuke to Lord Orochimaru," he said firmly, "It is only a matter of time".

Peter shrugged, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it".

Kimimaro grunted, letting the short conversation drop.

He stepped closer to the cage. Jugo, when his friend approached, averted his gaze, "I…I'm sorry that I got captured".

Kimimaro, after a slight pause, smiled softly, "Don't…it's all right, Jugo". He eyed the cage, wondering how it would open.

He turned his gaze to Peter, who banged on one of the bars with his fist, muttering something.

Various bars on the cage shrank, allowing Jugo to leave.

Kimimaro then nodded at Peter, turning around to lead his team back to their base.

Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo—all out of their transformed states—glared harshly at Peter, while Jugo merely looked back to the cage, before they all followed Kimimaro.

After the Sound shinobi disappeared from view, the cage disappeared in a puff of smoke. It dissipated to reveal Enma, who stared hard at Peter.

The Monkey King sighed sighing deeply, pinching his nose; "…You realize you've made an egregious tactical error, right?"

Peter nodded slowly, "Yeah…but hey, we got Sasuke, I call that a win".

Enma conceded that point.

"So," Peter arched his back, "did you and your temporary tenant have a nice chat?"

Enma grunted, "…Kid's got issues, I can tell you that much".

Peter clicked his tongue, "Well, we can talk later," he turned around, "I'm tired, and would like a quick nap before one of my bosses yells at me for letting those guys loose".

"Maybe one of them can get through that skull of yours," Enma then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"They probably won't!" Peter yelled out, before swinging for Konoha.

 **A/N: Christ, that took me a long time to write! I'm just glad I finished this before winter break, Happy Holidays by the way. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

Grace Period

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Orochimaru glared at his Sound Four (now an accurate count) and Jugo from behind his desk, eyes almost glowing with rage.

"So," he ground out, causing his followers to flinch, "Not only were you unable to retrieve Sasuke, but you lost Sakon and Ukon," he sharply turned to Jugo, who shrunk in on himself slightly, "and allowed yourself to be captured?"

"I-" Jugo paused slightly, "I'm sorry".

Orochimaru growled lightly, but stayed seated. He sighed deeply, "…Rest assured, you shall all be punished, severely. In fact," a devilish grin wormed its way onto his face, "I believe I have some…improvements I can perform on your seals". He took an almost perverse pleasure as they all failed at repressing their shivers. "You're all dismissed until further notice".

Slowly, the six young adults left the room.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kimimaro said, just at the door, "About my treatment".

Orochimaru grunted, "Worry not, I'll get right on it in the morning".

Kimimaro bowed, "Thank you, Lord Orochimaru".

Orochimaru scowled lightly, "Kabuto," he looked over his shoulder to his right-hand man, "How much more anesthesia do we have?"

Kabuto frowned, "Um, another five thousand milliliters, at least".

Orochimaru smirked lowly, "Five hundred you say? Oh my, that's certainly not enough for an operation…I suppose we can always just perform without it".

Kabuto's eyes widened considerably, "Sir?"

"Did I stutter?"

Kabuto gulped, "…No, sir".

 **Line Break**

Sakura burst through the hospital doors, "Sasuke!"

"Oh don't worry about us," Haku said from his bed, "we're doing just fine".

Sakura's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, "Ah, sorry. Are you all okay?"

"Oh, my fair Sakura!" Lee sprung up from his bed, jolting the doctor who was tending to him, "Now that are here, my youthful spirit is fully rejuvenated!"

"Maybe so," the doctor growled, "But that foot of yours is fractured, now sit your ass down!" The doctor ran a hand down her face as Lee did so, "And I thought Gai was bad," she muttered.

Neji scoffed, "Just sit still for a little while longer".

Sakura looked around the room. "Wait, where is everyone else?"

"Well, Shikamaru and Peter were relatively unharmed, so they left. Kiba and Choji are in another room, and Naruto left to check on Sasuke".

Sakura leaned forward, "Where are they?"

 **Line Break**

"Where the hell is he?" Naruto screamed.

The nurse (for what seemed like the twentieth time) sighed, "I told you kid, Sasuke Uchiha has been taken away for special treatment," he leaned down, "in a separate facility," he enunciated.

Naruto scowled, "Where?!"

Before the nurse could answer, a cry of, "Naruto!" interrupted him.

Naruto turned around, smiling at Sakura, "Hey! I brought him back!" he exclaimed.

Sakura smiled, grabbing his hands in her own, "I know," she looked him in his eyes, "Thank you, Naruto".

Naruto was silent, before blushing, and pulling his hands away, scratching his nose, "Yeah well…" he then frowned, "But this jerk won't tell me where Sasuke is!"

"Listen, kids," the nurse said through clenched teeth, "I will say this one last time. Your friend is currently undergoing treatment in a separate facility, due to the…delicate nature of his injuries. He is perfectly safe".

 **Line Break**

Sasuke roared in pain as Jiraiya painted another symbol onto his neck.

Jiraiya growled; this was certainly a lot tougher than he had hoped. He then noticed the skin on Sasuke's back started to bubble.

He cursed, yelled out, "Everyone, move back!" and quickly hopped away.

Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the three ANBU agents looked on in shock as massive hands sprouted from Sasuke's shoulder. They started to flap, lifting Sasuke in the air.

Kakashi and Jiraiya moved in tandem, hopping onto the ceiling, and slapping numerous paper seals onto the wings.

The ANBU agents threw long strands of rope—which had talismans hanging off of them—around Sasuke. They pulled in unison, sending Sasuke crashing onto the ground.

Kakashi and Jiraiya landed in front of the transformed boy, who was groaning incoherently.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, "Looks like this'll be an all-nighter".

Kakashi sighed, hanging his head low, "You know, I can't help but feel I failed somewhere along the line".

Jiraiya patted him on the back, "Hey, chin up! At least he's not dead!"

Kakashi merely cocked an eyebrow.

 **Line Break**

Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling, barely flinching when the doors leading to the Hokage's office slammed shut behind him.

"Hey," Shikamaru turned his head to look at his father, "How was it?"

Shikamaru frowned, walking forward, "How long have you been there?"

Shikaku shrugged, "About five minutes". He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "Now, how was your first official debriefing?"

Shikamaru gave a long sigh, walking towards on of the towers balconies. "Lady Tsunade and those two old people-"

"The Village Elders," Shikaku gently interrupted.

"Sure, anyway, they all commended me bringing back Sasuke, relatively unharmed at any rate. Uh, no casualties, they liked that. But then," Shikamaru leaned over a railing, "we got to Peter".

"Really?" Shikaku leaned over the railing as well, "How so?"

Shikamaru gazed at the village through half-lidded eyes, "Did you know that he abandoned his mission, the escort for the Suna prisoners?"

Shikaku nodded slowly, "I'd gathered as much".

"Well, the two old bags—sorry, the Village Elders—took about a minute to rant to me about how I should have had him reprimanded and detained or something, since he, you know, abandoned a particularly sensitive mission and all that. Lady Tsunade looked pretty mad too". Shikamaru yawned loudly, "Man, I'm tired".

Shikaku chuckled, rubbing his son's arm, "You've had a long day, let's get you home".

Shikamaru nodded, and then grimaced, "You know, I really wouldn't want to be Peter when those three get a hold of him".

 **Line Break**

"—in all my years!"

"—a complete lack of situational awareness!"

Tsunade sighed, leaning forward on her desk, "I think he gets the point you two".

Peter snorted loudly, "Huh? Sorry, I fell asleep". He arched his back, "Are you guys done ranting?"

Homura scowled deeply, "I don't think you appreciate your situation, boy".

"I probably don't".

Both Koharu and Homura opened their mouths, though Tsunade managed to cut them off, "Peter," she said forcefully, "Do you know, exactly, what you did?"

Peter sighed, "…I will admit, it wasn't the best move on my part to leave in the middle of a mission," he decided to ignore Homura and Koharu's affirmative grunts, "But you've got to admit, with Morlun showing up it was for the best".

Homura frowned, "And you still affirm that the reason you abandoned your mission, you had a 'bad feeling' about Sasuke"?

"That's what I told you, yes".

Everyone fixed him skeptic glances.

"…There's precedence".

Koharu let out a breath, "Which is your only saving grace".

"Moving on But we will get back to that at a later time," Tsunade cleared her throat, "You said that after you confronted him he," she brought up a sheet of paper, "'Lit up like a bonfire, out of nowhere'"?

Peter nodded, "Yes, that's how it happened".

"And you had nothing to do with that?" Koharu asked.

Peter scoffed, "I can barely start a campfire".

"We're not disputing the idea that he might have lit himself on fire, Peter. It's just that there is no evidence. No scorch marks, or anything".

Peter's lenses narrowed, "So what, you think I let him loose".

"The thought has crossed our minds".

Peter scoffed, "Yeah, I'll save one of the people who's tried to eat me on multiple occasions; flawless logic, truly".

Homura arched a brow, "'one of'?"

"Apparently I'm tasty," there was a long, pregnant pause; "…I try not to think about it".

Tsunade coughed into her hand, "Moving on…there's the matter of you releasing that Jugo person".

"Yes," Koharu glared at Peter, "What were you thinking?"

"Mainly how comfortable my bed was going to feel".

"Be serious!"

"I am!"

"Regardless," Homura interrupted, "You allowed what could have been a valuable source of information loose without so much as a second thought".

Peter sighed, "C'mon guys, give me a little credit," he started to rummage through one of his belt pouches; "I've been in the game long enough". He tossed a small, red item onto Tsunade's desk, "Not that you would necessarily know that".

The Hokage carefully picked up the object, observing it to be a small spider, "What is this?"

"A Spider Tracer. It's basically my own little homing device," Peter tapped his cheek, "From what I can tell, he's somewhere Northeast of us. And knowing how most adolescent boys operate, I'd say we have a couple weeks before he does his laundry". Tsunade, Homura, and Koharu gave the little spider a more appreciative look.

"And when were you going to tell us you had this item at your disposal?"

"…Whenever it came up?" Peter shrugged.

Koharu turned the tracer over in her hands. She hummer appreciatively, "How fast can you distribute these to our ANBU agents?"

"Ah," Peter walked over to the elderly woman, "that would be…never," he plucked the tracer from her hands.

Three pairs of eyes zeroed in on Peter. "What?"

"Sorry folks," he pocketed the object, "it's a Parker secret".

Koharu and Homura glared at Peter, but said nothing. If there was one thing they were willing to respect (even from someone as aggravating as Peter) it was the desire to keep clan skills secret.

Tsunade sighed, "I suppose we're done here. Suffice to say, you'll be heading out in a few days to lead a group of ANBU to wherever your tracer leads".

"Ooh, that means I'll get some naptime!"

Tsunade sighed, "…You're dismissed".

Peter nodded his head, "Thank you," and walked over the window, opened it, and swung away.

Homura hummed grumpily, "An annoying young man".

"But surprisingly reliable," Tsunade added.

Koharu clicked her tongue, "Similar to Jiraiya, then?"

Tsunade froze, then brought a hand to her forehead, "Dear Lord, I hope not".

 **Line Break**

Peter corkscrewed in the air as he reached the apex of his swing, before enjoying that ever-lovely split second of floating in the air, and then the rush of gravity taking over his body.

He sighed internally, _"I feel like I'm running myself ragged"._

" _Then why don't you take a short vacation?"_

Peter blew out a breath, sending out a cord of webbing at a water tower, running on the ground slightly before pulling himself up, _"I'm already in hot water, I doubt asking for some extra 'me time' will endear me to my bosses"_.

Peter continued in silence after that, before landing in front of his shed.

He pulled off his mask as he entered, tossing it on the table. He then pulled off his webshooters and belt, placing them on the table as well.

He pulled a small device out of one of his pouches, a transceiver, and started to fiddle around with it. And then his spider-sense blared in alarm.

He dropped the device, spinning on his heels, arms raised in preparation.

" _Peter,"_ Cassandra said, _"What is it?"_

" _Someone set of my spider-sense,"_ he clenched his fists, _"They're right outsiiiiii…what?"_

Just then, the door opened, and a mass of black and brown arachnids poured inside. The brown and black mass quickly scrambled onto a wall and the ceiling. Then, multiple spiders created a space in the middle, leaving behind an intricate web, which read, 'Greetings, Avatar of our Lord'.

Peter slowly lowered his arms, "…Okay, this is screwy, even for me".

Cassandra suddenly gasped, and Peter heard a slap, _"The Spiders! I had completely forgotten about the contract for them!"_

"Well they, evidently, haven't," Peter muttered. He fully faced the mass od spiders, "Uh…hi?" he waved.

The spiders swarmed the middle, making a new message. It read 'We have been waiting for you, but you did not seek us out'.

Peter scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, um, I've been busy- _God this is so weird"_.

They made another message, 'It is of no matter now. Meet us at the Forest of Death'. And then the mass of spiders crawled down, exiting the shack.

Peter stared out the door, _"…That just happened"_.

" _Still, at least you can hurry along and get this over with"_.

Peter shrugged, _"Yeah, silver linings and all that"_ he replied, walking over to the bench. He put his mask back on, and reattached his webshooters and belt, before swinging towards the Forest of Death.

He landed on a building near the South entrance. Peter clicked his tongue at the sight of three guards keeping watch. _"Don't suppose they'll let me stroll on in"_?

" _Considering the fact that the area is called 'The Forest of Death'? No, I do not"_.

Peter hummed, before shooting out two weblines at nearby buildings. He hopped back a few feet, and when he was satisfied with his weblines' tension, hopped up, snapping forward into the night sky.

He landed in a large patch of leaves. His spider-sense buzzed, and Peter crawled around the tree trunk. He heard leaves rustle, followed by two people breathing.

"Tch," he heard someone say after a moment, "C'mon man, let's go".

"No," the second voice said, "I heard something". Peter heard footsteps, and shrunk in on himself.

The first person groaned lightly, "You're being paranoid. We would have seen someone jump up, especially at this height. It was probably a bird".

Peter held his breath as the second person came closer. He slowly raised his hand, steeling his nerves.

"…Yeah, you've got a point". The second person stepped back, "Guess I'm just a little jumpy".

"Don't worry man," the first voice chuckled, "Our shift's almost over anyway".

Peter stayed glued to his spot, waiting until his spider-sense was no longer ringing.

He finally let out a breath. He turned around, resting his back on the trunk as he scanned the forest, "Now then," he muttered, "If I were a mass of spiders waiting for an interdimensional traveler in spandex, where would I be?"

Peter then felt something crawl up his leg, and looked down to see a brown spider, which continued crawling until it reached his palm. He lifted the creature to eye level, quirking his lips up as it used two of its legs to point in a direction.

"All right then," he lowered his hand to his belt, "Sit tight," the spider crawled into an empty pouch, closing it as it did so.

Peter then hopped and swung through the abnormally large trees, taking great care to avoid disturbing the diverse wildlife.

After a few moments, he came across a large spider-web, connected to many trees among the treetops. Peter landed on a branch, pulling the spider out of his pouch, "So…this the place?"

The spider nodded (rather, it hopped once) and climbed up to Peter's shoulder.

With a sigh, Peter leapt forward, landing on the web. He cocked a brow as he bounced on the web strands, "A bit shoddy, but it's okay I guess".

The web started to vibrate, violently, and Peter tensed, before relaxing (an odd feeling) at the sight of the mass of spiders from before spilled out from one of the trees. Followed by a large, brown tarantula.

Peter stood up as the mass of spiders surrounded him, leaving a path for the tarantula. Peter frowned as the giant arachnid came closer; he could swear it was glaring at him. It stopped a few feet in front of him, staring.

Then it clicked, "Oh! This is your web!" The tarantula nodded (being large enough to do so) slowly.

Peter hummed, "…I'm not sorry".

The tarantula chittered lowly, before sharply turning around, crawling towards one of the trees.

The mass of spiders soon dispersed, disappearing from sight.

Peter brought his hand to his shoulder, smiling at the small arachnid as he lowered it onto the large web, "Thanks for the directions!"

Peter hopped towards the Tarantula, stepping in line behind it as it crawled into the knothole of a large tree.

 **A/N:** **Hello all. Let me take a moment to talk about the almost completed Spider-Man arc "Dead No More: Clone Conspiracy"…I don't hate it. And because I don't hate it, I kind of want to incorporate (retcon) certain parts into my story. It also all depends on how the last issue (and its tie-ins) end. I mean, Status Quo is God and all that, but this arc has really screwed with the mythos. So expect…something to happen within a month. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

Making Friends

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter sighed as he followed the massive tarantula deeper into the tree. "So, is this going to take any longer?" the spider continued on, "Come on man, er, arachnid…Give me something!"

The spider chittered lowly.

Peter crossed his arms, _"Salty isn't he?"_

" _I doubt our guide is doing this of its own accord, you saw the annoyance shining through its eyes. And your web comment most likely did not help matters"_.

Peter conceded her point, but still grumbled.

Eventually, they entered a small cavern, with a pool of water resting on the northern end. The tarantula stopped just before it, Peter hopping up beside it. "Now what?"

The spider pointed to the pool.

"…You want me to take a bath?"

The chittering returned with fervor.

Peter snorted, "Relax, I know it's deeper than physically possible. I've more or less gotten used to the ninja magic nonsense this world runs on".

Peter then crouched low, before leaping high into the air. With a hearty yell, he flipped in the air, before entering a swan dive. He entered the water with barely a splash.

 **Line Break**

Jiraiya arched his back as he rounded the corner to the Hokage's tower, groaning at the loud pop his spine made. " _That was more trouble than I'd hoped_ ," he thought, " _I'm going to need to refill my ink supply,_ " he scratched his chin, " _Not to mention, I'm going to need to come back periodically to check on the seal,"_ he blanched, _"That's going to muck up my plans_ ".

"Hey, ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya slumped; he did not have the energy to deal with Naruto right now.

"Naruto! Don't antagonize him!"

The Toad Sage arched a brow, before plastering a lecherous smirk on his face. He spun around, idly recognizing the girl as Naruto's third teammate "Well, well, looking for some last minute advice to help with your lady friend their, brat?"

To the man's impish glee, the young girl's face went scarlet, and the blonde's face morphed into a scowl, "Shut up! We want to talk about Sasuke".

Jiraiya's smile immediately turned to a frown, "He's…breathing".

"So, we can see him?"

Jiraiya sighed, looking Sakura straight in the eyes, "No".

"Come on!"

Biting back a groan, Jiraiya crossed his arms, "He's not ready for visitors just yet".

"But we're his team!"

"Please, sir," Sakura clasped her hands together, "We have to see him!"

Jiraiya sighed, looking over his shoulder at the Hokage's tower.

 **Line Break**

Sasuke stared down at his left arm, which, along with his legs, was chained to the sturdy bed he was currently lying on. He sighed, scratching his chest with his free arm.

"…ing you, it's fine".

Sasuke straightened, straining his ears.

"Loo…et his hopes…might not work".

Sasuke scowled, it sounded like that man, Jiraiya. Most likely come back to make sure he didn't go feral.

Sure enough, the bombastic man slammed the door open, startling the four guards in the hall.

Jiraiya smirked (which irritated the chained youth) "Hey there kid, how's it going?"

"You tell me".

"Yeesh," Jiraiya looked over his shoulder, "Maybe I can find a way to fix that personality".

Sasuke's scowl deepened.

Jiraiya then turned around, grabbing the door, "Don't give me that look," Jiraiya chided the masked guards; "The kid's perfectly safe, I don't need babysitters". With that, the man shut the doors, and then slapped a paper talisman on it for good measure.

With a jaunty whistle, Jiraiya moved closer to Sasuke.

"Well," the young man drawled, "going to cover up the rest of my chest with ink?"

In response, Jiraiya calmly took out a scroll, opened it up, a kunai and paintbrush appearing from smoke.

Sasuke grimaced, but steeled his nerves.

Then, to the youth's surprise, Jiraiya tossed the items to the floor, where they erupted in smoke.

"Ugh, god that was so weird".

"I think I'm going to be sick".

Sasuke's eyes widened considerably, "Naruto? Sakura?" he stared at his queasy teammates.

Sakura was the first to snap out of her reveries. "Sasuke!" she cried, crashing into the boy. Sasuke let out a low grunt.

"Thank god you're alright!" she rested her head on his shoulder, the one with an arm chained to the bed.

Sasuke, surmising she would be like this for a while, took to patting her shoulders comfortingly.

Naruto stared at the pair, a small, almost sad smile adorning his face.

He felt a hand fall upon his shoulder, which he quickly shook off, "Don't," he told his teacher; "I know I should wait".

Jiraiya merely stared knowingly at the blonde.

After a moment, Jiraiya cleared his throat, loudly. Sakura, realizing the position she was in, yelped, quickly jumping off of Sasuke.

Jiraiya snorted lightly, "Not to seem pushy, but we've only got about five minutes before the ANBU outside start pounding on the door".

Naruto nodded, "Right! So, how's it going you ba-what's that?"

Naruto pointed to what was visible of Sasuke's chest, noting the odd black markings.

Sasuke sighed, "…Take a guess".

"…Aren't we too young to get tattoos?"

Sasuke stared incredulously at Naruto, before spotting the impish smirk on his face. Sasuke snorted, "Why are we friends?" he muttered.

 **Line Break**

"Whoa, Jesus!" Peter screamed as he shot out of a pool of water.

He tumbled in the air, before performing a three-point landing. Peter looked over his shoulder, "Thought that would be deeper".

He then felt his spider-sense buzz, and looked to his left. He then gulped, and looked to his right, "…Ooh mama".

Peter saw that he was in a massive stone building, based on the floor at any rate. The walls and ceiling were covered in webbing (admittedly beautiful), with large holes breaking up the otherwise intricate patterns.

Then the spiders began to pour out of the holes.

Peter looked around as the floor, walls, and ceiling were covered with arachnids, the smallest of them being the size of a wolf. He also noted, to his discomfort, more than a few had humanoid bodies attached to what would be the head of a normal spider (and from there, the bodies varied from monstrous to human).

He crouched low, "This brings back pleasant memories," he muttered.

" _Calm yourself,_ " Cassandra said gently; " _If they meant you harm, they would have done something already_ ".

Peter gulped, audibly, and slowly stood up. He spun around, "So…this some sort of massive staring contest, or are you all socially awkward?"

"Hmph, you're certainly rude," a cold, feminine voice rang out.

Peter turned towards the voice, grimacing as he saw who spoke. She had a fully human upper body, black hair, and dark eyes—which glared coldly at Peter. Really, she looked quite attractive, especially in her black kimono with white lines running diagonally across it. Too bad that dress flared out onto a hairy thorax.

Peter, when the spider woman, and her entourage of various spider creatures, crawled over, stuck out his hand, "Howdy! Peter Parker, also known as the too many adjectives to count Spider-Man".

The woman stared at the hand, before returning her glare to Peter, "I am Kiyoko, matriarch of the spiders".

Peter frowned, "Friendly," he drawled.

Her eyes narrowed (further, despite all odds), "You've neglected contacting us".

Peter shrugged, "I've been busy".

"Nonsense".

Peter felt an eye twitch. He took a deep breath, "Okay…this is your show, I'm the guest, what do you want?"

Kiyoko arched a brow; "…You are to sign the contract with my people immediately".

"Fair enough".

"And you are to end the contract between Monkey King Enma and yourself".

Peter froze, "…Pardon?"

"Now that we are going about things properly, you have no need to fraternize with the primate".

Peter clenched his jaw, "Enma's a friend".

Kiyoko smiled frostily, "Then it will be easier for you to break the news".

"…Don't you think you're being a little rash?" Peter ground out after a moment of silence.

Kiyoko's eyes narrowed marginally, "I believe I'm being particularly forgiving of your irreverence".

Peter nodded, humming thoughtfully, "…Well, goodbye then. Have a nice life," he spun around, heading for the pool.

There was a collective gasp as Peter's words sunk in.

Kiyoko stared at Peter's retreating form, before her face twisted into a snarl, and she quickly skittered in front of Peter, forcing the young man to stop. "I beg your pardon?" she growled.

Peter sighed, pinching his nose, "Look, you seem like a nic…a reas…a lady, but I'm not going to let you strong-arm me into a sour deal".

Kiyoko clenched her fists, fury building up behind her eyes, "You arrogant human!" she hissed.

"Technically, I'm a meta-human," Peter chimed.

Several things happened as Peter said that; one, the surrounding spiders backed away, packing onto the walls and ceiling, two, more than a few spiders started to hiss and jeer at him. And three, Kiyoko's human body (to Peter's mild disgust) started to change, her dress melding into her skin, turning it black and hairy; as well as gaining two extra sets of eyes, and mandibles, which clacked rapidly over her frothing mouth. "Do you know who I am?!" she growled.

Peter quirked a lens, "…A rip-off?"

Kiyoko herself didn't verbally retort, opting instead to fully transform into a spider monster, growing an extra five feet, her hands turning into claws, and gaining glowing red eyes (and bringing up very unpleasant memories for Peter). She then brought a foreleg high in the air, slamming it down towards Peter.

Peter sidestepped, easily avoiding the limb, "Hey, you people came to me," he hopped over the swipe of a leg, "and then you asked me to cut ties with a man—well, monkey—I consider to be a good friend," he ducked under a stream of webbing (which the woman released from her mouth, oddly enough), "and you just expect me to just buy what your trying to sell?" He leapt to the side as Kiyoko jumped up and attempted to crash down on him, "Oh yeah, and then you try to kill me," Peter turned in the air, shooting weblines at Kiyoko's legs. When he landed, he pulled harshly, forcing the spider woman on her back, "So, I'm thinking you need a time out". He then jumped forward, webbing her limbs together, leaving her to struggle on her back, frothing (even more, surprisingly) at the mouth.

Peter dusted off his legs, turning away from the screeching monster lady, only to slump his shoulders at the sight of about a dozen spider monsters blocking the way to the pool of water. "Was your boss not a clear indication of how this will go down?"

The lead spider roared, and charged. With a sigh, Peter crouched into his signature stance.

"Enough!" a voice cried out.

The spider stopped just a couple of feet in front of Peter, turning its head angrily to the side. Peter followed suit, frowning at the sight of an elderly spider lady in an ornate, white and red kimono. She carried a staff, slamming it on the ground with every (figurative) step she took, the surrounding spider people quickly scampering out of her way.

The woman made her way to Kiyoko, shaking here head at the livid matriarch, "Do you not know whom this young man is?" the woman asked as she cut through the webbing," What he means to our Lord, the Weaver?"

Kiyoko (who had reverted to her humanoid shape) merely scoffed, turning her head to the side as she stood up. Throwing one last glare at Peter, the spider woman stomped away. Her entourage followed, the one who charged at Peter taking a moment to roar in his face.

The masked hero wiped some spit off his lens, "Dude, really?"

Peter noticed the elderly woman make her way towards him, but not before she sent a glare of her own at Kiyoko and her group. The woman stopped in front of Peter, bowing low, "On the behalf of my people, I apologize for what has happened here today".

Peter let out a breath, "Apology tentatively accepted, but if you don't mind," Peter turned to once more face the pool, "I'm going to go".

"Wait!" Peter stopped, looking over his shoulder, "Don't," the woman swallowed, "Don't judge Kiyoko too harshly…these have been trying times".

"Oh my god," Peter muttered, covering his face with his hands, "Is this going to be one of those stories that's going to make me feel like a dick".

The woman shook her head, "Not…entirely…Kiyoko's demands were unreasonable, no doubt, but…if you would follow me, please," the woman bowed once more.

Peter stared at the elderly spider lady, and after deliberating for moment with the elderly spider lady living inside his head, sighed, "All right, lead the way".

A relieved smile flashed on the woman's face, "Thank you," she straightened, "I am Machiko, by the way".

"Nice to meet you," Peter extended his hand, "And you and yours know who I am already".

Machiko grimaced, but still shook Peter's hand, "Yes…that is part of the issue". She turned around, "If you would follow me, please," she said, as she turned towards a hole in the surrounding webbing.

 **Line Break**

Peter tapped two fingers against his leg as he silently followed Machiko deeper and deeper into her people's home. What made the trip awkward (aside from the absolute silence) was that whenever they came across another spider, they either bowed at Peter (which made him feel uncomfortable) or ran away (which actually reminded him of his younger years, and made him homesick).

"Just a bit farther," Machiko suddenly said.

"Okay," Peter replied. He then felt a breeze come in from further ahead, "Where are we going, again?"

"The main temple dedicated to our Lord, the Great Weaver".

Peter blinked, frowning as the moon came into view, "Oh, wow, you guys actually have a religion around the guy".

"But of course," Machiko frowned as she looked over her shoulder, "Do you not worship the Great Weaver as well?"

Peter rubbed the back of his head, "Not really. In fact, until a few years ago, I didn't even know the Great Weaver existed".

Machiko froze. "B-but," she whipped her head around, "How did you receive their blessing?"

Peter shrugged, "Bad luck really".

Machiko, after soundlessly opening and closing her mouth for a moment, moved ahead once more.

Cassandra coughed, " _Didn't an aspect of the Great Weaver tell you exactly why you were chosen?_ "

" _I do my best to not focus on the mystical rigmarole surrounding my origin_ ".

" _It's part of who you are_ ".

Peter scowled under his mask, " _It's confusing"_.

Cassandra scoffed, _"You're being overdramatic_ ".

"We're here".

Peter turned away from his conversation, staring up at large, ornate wooden doors, the profile of a massive spider carved on both doors. Peter looked around, idly noting other robed spiders (regardless of the fact that some did not have humanoid bodies) milling about. Although, once they saw him, they all scurried out of view.

"Here," the door creaked loudly as Machiko opened it, "Inside".

Peter quickly stepped inside, staring up at a large stone statue of the Great Weaver. Or, he assumed it was the Great Weaver, "…That's not accurate".

Machiko, who was lighting several candles, turned, "What?"

"The Great Weaver has, like, dozens of legs, not your standard eight".

Machiko hummed, "Yes, I know".

Peter tilted his head, "You do? Then why this?" he pointed to the statue, and then frowned, observing the rest of the temple. Rotten wood, cracked stone, cobwebs that, weirdly enough, looked like graffiti. He bit his lip, "Hey, not to seem rude, but how come this place, um-"

"Looks like crap?"

Peter crossed his arms, "If we're being blunt…"

Machiko sighed, lighting the last candle. "…Our people have lived on this world for a long time. Not since the beginning, that honor belongs to the toads," she placed a hand on the Great Weaver's statue, "But we were brought here when the Tailed Beasts were young".

Peter let out a low whistle, "That's a long time…I assume".

The priestess chuckled, "A very long time…in the beginning, we were very devout, strictly adhering to our Lord's will". She sighed, "However, our Lord was very distant, tending to the universal Web of Life".

"Multiversal," Peter coughed into his hand embarrassedly, as Machiko cocked a brow "sorry, sorry, continue".

Her lips twitched, "Moving on. The only other sign that our Lord listened was after we entered a contract with a human clan, when those humans were blessed with various arachnid abilities. Overtime, with a lack of divine showing, my people began to doubt that the Great Weaver existed". Machiko chuckled, "Honestly, my position is more for the sake of tradition than anything else. Until a few months ago, that is".

"Around when I came into this world?"

Machiko nodded, "Yes…It happened so suddenly," Peter frowned as Machiko's tone changed, gaining a wistful edge. "We were there, my entire clan, in our Lord's domain…it was so serene, so vast, so beautiful".

Peter arched a brow, remembering the wasteland the deity called home, but stayed silent.

"However," Machiko's enthusiasm dropped, "Our Lord was less than pleased".

Peter grunted, "How so?"

Machiko pursed her lips, "The Great Weaver called was…harsh. Called us…disgraces and disappointments; with regards to the deaths of the human clan we allied with, and our lack of care for the Web of Life".

Peter sucked in a breath, "Bet that didn't go over well with your boss".

Machiko chuckled mirthlessly, "Kiyoko tried to rebuttal, but was quickly blasted with energy and turned into a common jumping spider," Machiko shuddered. "After that, we were told that one of their chosen avatar's was tasked with, and I quote, 'Fixing your mess' and that we were to assist in any way possible".

"Wow…" Peter snorted, "the Great Weaver's kind of a shitty motivator". He groaned at Machiko's fearful expression, "Calm down, I've said worse and I'm still here".

Machiko coughed into her hand, "Right…Anyway," she clasped her hands together, "Though Kiyoko was very…assertive," Machiko chose to ignore Peter's snort, "She had one good point, your contract with Enma complicates matters greatly".

"Why?" Peter shrugged, "What's the big deal?"

"It's…unorthodox for someone to have multiple summoning contracts".

"So? In case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly normal".

"It's also a matter of pride. Not many are willing to share, for lack of a better term".

Peter scratched his cheek; "Yeah…Enma doesn't strike me as the jealous type".

Machiko felt an eye twitch, "I'm talking about the various members of my clan".

"But, didn't say that a deity held you all at gu—sorry—knifepoint and order you to help me"

"Fear can only motivate someone so much, and we have not had another message since".

Peter sighed, staring out a window, "Okay, it's really late, and before we go into greater detail about all of this," he gestured to the room, "I think we should give your boss a day or two to cool off".

Machiko sighed, nodding, "That would be wise…Come, I'll take you back to your village".

 **Line Break**

Jiraiya let out a sigh as he hopped up the Hokage's tower, quickly slipping into an open window on the top floor.

"You're late".

Jiraiya snorted, walking over to Tsunade's desk, "No I'm not".

His teammate frowned, downing her current cup of sake, "Yes you are".

"I told you I would get back to you when I finished checking up on the Uchiha," Jiraiya poured himself a cup, smirking as he brought it to his lips, "And I just did".

Tsunade clenched her jaw, and Jiraiya leaned back slightly. To his relief, she just let out a breath, "Whatever…how is he?"

Jiraiya grimaced, "Physically, fine. Has more ink than your average canvas, but nothing too worrisome".

Tsunade cocked a brow, "And mentally?"

Jiraiya set his cup down; "…Orochimaru really stepped up his game since that Anko girl. He," Jiraiya scoffed, "it's like he infected the kid with chakra".

Tsunade frowned deeply, "What do you mean?"

"I don't really know," he admitted with a low chuckle, "All I could do was isolate the chakra behind, like, ten different seals. All while making sure Sasuke could still access his own chakra, mind you".

"How stable is it all?"

"Stable enough," Jiraiya dropped his face onto his palms, "Of course, I'm going to have to regularly check and reapply the seals, and try and figure out exactly what that foreign chakra is". He growled, "This really mucks up my plans".

Tsunade said nothing, merely refilling their cups, letting her teammate stew.

 **A/N: I'm finally using that spider-summoning subplot (About time, right?)…That's it really. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

Meeting Friends, Old and New

 **Spider-Man is owned by Marvel, and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

"Talking"

" _Thoughts"_

" **Demon/deity speech"**

 **Line Break**

Peter let out a gasp as he emerged from the magic ninja pool. He heard several stomps up ahead, and wiped some water off his lenses to get a better look. He smiled beneath his mask, "Hey there!" he waved to the giant Tarantula.

The arachnid glared at Peter, before it looked beyond him, and bowed.

Peter titled his head, before he heard water splashing behind him. He turned around, quirking a lens at Machiko, "Come to see me off?"

Machiko, after straightening her kimono, nodded, "Yes, and to give you this". She reached into her robes, pulling gout a small scroll. "Just pour some of your chakra into the seal, and a member of my clan will pick you up".

Peter grabbed to scroll, tossing it in his hands, "Will it be a member that likes me?"

Machiko chuckled, "It'll be one of the other priests, if not myself".

Peter nodded, "Goody," he held out his hand, "It was nice meeting you, and I hope that we—meaning, me, Enma, and Kiyoko—can come to some sort of arrangement, despite the bad feet she and I started out on".

Machiko shook the offered limb, "I agree…though it might take some doing to convince Kiyoko. Disregarding her personal feelings towards you, she and Enma…they have history".

Peter hummed, "Really?"

Machiko sighed, "Yes…it's not pretty".

Peter rubbed his chin, "Well, I'll talk it over with Enma, see how he thinks we should go about this".

Machiko nodded, "That would be wise, and I shall do my best to quell Kiyoko's anger—after giving her a day or two to calm down," she muttered. She then bowed, "I do hope we shall meet again".

Peter reciprocated the action, "Same here". He stepped back, waving as the spider-lady entered to pool to go back to her home.

Peter turned around to face the giant tarantula in the room, "So…you wouldn't know how to get back to the village, would you?"

The tarantula simply turned around.

Peter cocked a lens, "Is that a no?"

He then felt something fall on his left arm. He raised it, frowning at sight of a small spider crawling to his palm. He then snapped his fingers, "You're the little guy that lead me here!"

The spider 'nodded'.

"Feel like pointing the way back?"

Another 'nod'.

"All right then," Peter placed the miniscule arachnid on his shoulder, "lead the way".

 **Line Break**

"All right, last test".

Sasuke growled, looking over his shoulder to scowl at Jiraiya, Sharingan rotating slowly.

A nearby ANBU slid his blade out of its sheathe.

Jiraiya sharply turned his head towards the agent, eyes narrowed.

The agent sheepishly sheathed his blade.

The Toad Sage then turned to Sasuke, a small, sardonic smile on his face, "Indulge me, kid".

Sasuke frowned, but turned towards the wall. Steadying his chakra, he placed a foot upon it, then the other. He walked ten feet up, slipping slightly as he reached the ceiling. He looked down at the ground, angrily waving off the few agents that started to move to catch him.

He then walked to the center of the ceiling, scowling down at Jiraiya.

The white-haired man merely smirked, "Heh, am I great, or am I great?"

With a grunt, Sasuke dropped down in front of Jiraiya. "So, we're done?"

Jiraiya clapped his hands, "Not yet," he smirked broadly as Sasuke's scowl deepened, "Don't worry, it's not another test. There's someone I want you to meet".

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Another psychiatrist".

Jiraiya scoffed, "Nah, no one like that".

Sasuke arched a brow, but when it became clear Jiraiya had nothing more to say on the subject, he moved over the table that had his shirt and shoes. Slipping those on, he walked over to Jiraiya, who was waiting at the door.

The older man then lead Sasuke (and the ANBU agents) through a long corridor. Jiraiya stopped in front of a set of double doors, "In you go".

Sasuke arched a brow, "You aren't coming to keep an eye on me? Not that I'm complaining," he muttered.

Jiraiya snorted, "With our latest development, you've dropped down from a top priority, to…well, slightly less top priority".

Sasuke grunted.

"Regardless," Jiraiya shrugged, walking away, "Take care kid".

Sasuke followed the man as left. "Hey," he called.

Jiraiya stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"…Thank you".

Jiraiya gave a small smirk in reply, waving at the Uchiha as he continued.

Sasuke then pushed open the door, frowning as a young woman with purple done up in a fanned-ponytail.

The woman waved, a smile on her face, "Hey there! The name's Anko Mitarashi!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "…You're the woman that licked blood from Naruto's cheek".

Anko lowered her head with a sigh, "That can't be the only impression I made on you," she groused.

"Why are you here?"

The woman grunted, "Straight to the point, huh?" She gestured for Sasuke to come closer, which he did after a moment. When he got within arm's distance, Anko pulled her collar down.

Before Sasuke could ask what the hell she was doing, his eyes widened at the sight of a familiar seal resting on her neck. "Wha—where did you get that?"

Anko grimaced, "That scaly bastard gave it to me back when I was a genin, under his command, believe it or not".

Sasuke crossed his arms, "So…you're going to give me some tips on how to cope with this?"

Anko shrugged, "What else?"

Sasuke frowned, "Why didn't I meet you before, when Orochimaru first marked me?"

Anko shrugged, "Honestly, I didn't think you needed the help. Saw you during your prelim exam, you had the Seal under tight wraps. But then Lady Tsunade asked me to give you a talking to considering," she gestured to his tattooed neck, "all that". She then smiled, "So…got any burning questions?"

" _When can I go home_?" the young man thought with a snort. He then shook his head, thinking seriously. After a moment, he lifted his head, "Is there any way to channel the seal's power?"

Anko's face, which previously housed a playful smile, set into a heavy frown. She stared at Sasuke with hardened eyes, "Don't even think about it!"

Sasuke blinked at the venom in her tone.

She then sighed, "Sorry, just," she put her hands on her hips, "I can understand the logic, it is powerful, no doubt. But," she shook her head, "It's not worth the risk".

Sasuke nodded somberly, if a bit hesitantly.

"Besides," Anko smirked, "Did you see what those things did to those Sound Shinobi?" She struck a pose, "No way I'm messing with these goods!"

Sasuke merely stared at her, before heading for the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

 **Line Break**

Enma rubbed his temples, groaning lowly, "Kiyoko…why did it have to be Kiyoko?"

" _So, as Machiko said, you have an unpleasant history?"_ Cassandra asked.

Enma snorted, "The woman's insanely spiteful. Haven't seen her for five years and I doubt her hate towards me has subsided".

Peter cocked a brow, "What happened?"

Enma grumbled lowly, leaning back against a tree, "It was over this grove of eggplants near Bird Clan territory".

"Eggplants?"

"Oh, she loves the stuff," Enma chuckled, "It's pretty much the only thing that can get her to drop that bitchy attitude of hers, if only for a moment—It's actually sort of fascinating to witness, in that weird, 'why can't I stop watching this?' kind of way". He shook his head, "Anyway, the Birds were selling a plot of particularly fertile plot of land. Long story short, I won the bid, and she's cursed the ground I walked on ever since; cut off all ties with my clan—which in all honesty wasn't much different from how things already were—and left some very unflattering and disturbing tapestries on my doorstep".

Cassandra cocked a brow, " _That's…petty...and awfully disproportionate_ "

Enma shrugged, "Well, it was more of a tipping point, an inevitability given our long history. Besides, our clans have never really gotten along—something about my ancestor stealing being a dick or something, I don't know".

Peter crossed his arms, "…Moving on, would a potential partnership between me and her clan be a problem? Cause, despite the hostile welcome, I'm not keen to the idea of leaving them to the machinations of a deity."

Enma shrugged, "Honestly, I don't have a problem with it, so long as you summon me every now and again, I'll be happy".

Peter sighed, "All right, now all I have to do is convince Kiyoko to go along with this".

Enma grunted, "Let me talk with her first".

" _Are you sure?_ " Cassandra asked, " _You just said she hates you with all her heart_ ".

Enma grimaced, "Yes…but you just told me that her god is none too fond of her right now. I think she'll be willing to listen to reason".

Peter frowned, "If you think it's the best course of action".

Enma sighed, "If not the best, it'll be the fastest". He brought his hands together, "I'll get back to you in a day or two," and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

 **Line Break**

Enma's nose twitched as the smell of oil, insects, alcohol, and other scents which had no reason to ever mix assaulted his nose. He sneezed lightly.

"Hello sir," Enma looked down at a small toad—Gamai, he read from her nameplate, "Welcome to _Gamaken's Frog Hut_! Have you dined with us before?"

Enma nodded, "Yes. I have a reservation, under 'Enma'".

The toad nodded, hopping towards her station. She pulled out a clipboard, humming a tune as she looked for his name. "Ah, here you are!" she then frowned, "It would appear that some of your party have already a-arrived," she gulped, obviously aware of who he was meeting, "shall I take you to them?"

Enma nodded absentmindedly, "Sounds good".

He followed the toad as she led him to the back of the building. He paused as the other half (and an extra two) of his party came into view, along with a tea pot and several cups on the table, "If it's all right with you, I'll seat myself".

"Of course!" Gamai did her best to keep the relief from her tone, "Someone will come with your drink in a moment".

Enma smiled at her, expressing his thanks and asking for a bottle of sake to start, before walking to his table.

He frowned as he noticed one of Kiyoko's guards—both monstrous, most likely to try and intimidate him—whisper into her ear. The spider woman's eyes quickly flitted over to glare at him, before moving back to the teacup in her hands.

Enma quietly moved into the seat opposite Kiyoko, sitting up straight and resting both hands on his lap. He grunted, "Kiyoko".

"Enma," she coolly replied.

He grunted at her two guards, "Are they really necessary".

Kiyoko shifted her gaze to look around them, "In a place such as this…" she let the sentence hang.

Enma chuckled, "If you bothered to socialize outside of your clan, you might come to like it".

"I highly doubt that".

A toad in a uniform hopped into view, "Y-your sake, sir".

Enma and Kiyoko didn't spare a glance as the amphibian nervously set the alcohol down, staring each other down. "I'll call you over when," his eyes narrowed slightly, "…if we're ready to order," Enma said.

The toad nodded, quickly hopping away.

Enma grabbed a cup, slowly pouring himself some sake. He allowed himself a small smirk as Kiyoko's eye twitched. Bringing the glass to his lips, he took a long, silent gulp; with a satisfied hum, he poured himself another cup, "So…a jumping spider, huh?"

Kiyoko crushed her teacup in her hands, eyes glowing in rage.

Enma clicked his tongue, "That's on your half of the check".

Her face set into a snarl, and her guards stood up to full height.

Enma merely smirked, "All right, I've had my fun". He put his cup down, face settling into a frown, "Let's get down to business".

Kiyoko's heaved a deep, angry breath, before her closing her eyes, and taking a deep, calming sigh. Her face morphed back into a mask of cool indifference, though her eyes still burned with fury—her guards still openly glared at him, however. "…You are to cease all contact with the one known as Peter Parker," she finally stated, "let him gain a proper contract".

Enma nodded, "All right, counter-offer; he enters a contract with you and your clan, and keeps mine as well".

Kiyoko's nostrils flared, "If you think I'm willing to work with you-"

"But you risk death otherwise, don't you?"

Kiyoko faltered at the question.

"Look, I'm going to level with you," Enma continued, "The thought of working together with you sets my fur on end, a feeling I'm sure you reciprocate," Kiyoko didn't dignify that with a response, "But…I'm willing to push that aside if it means sparing you and your people from the wrath of some deity whose power lies far beyond what we can grasp".

Kiyoko clenched her jaw.

Enma bit his lips, "If it'll help…if one of your clan members and I are summoned in conjunction, and they have a problem with me…I'll leave".

Kiyoko stared at the Monkey King in shock, "…You'd be willing to-"

"My pride isn't worth the potential backlash against you and yours," Enma cut her off.

Kiyoko stared silently at Enma after that. She then sighed, face twisting up as though she'd tasted something sour, "…These terms are acceptable".

Enma hummed lowly, "All right," he got up from his seat, "I'd say this will be a nice partnership, but that'd be a lie".

 **A/N: Fuck, I'm drained. This chapter …just…*huff*. Regardless, be sure to leave a review. Later.**


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